Duke Professor on Leave After Posting Racially-Charged Comments

A Duke University professor is on leave after posting comments online that many readers found to be racist.

Jerry Hough posted a long comment on a New York Times editorial titled “How Racism Doomed Baltimore,” saying that “the Asians” were discriminated against just as much as “the blacks,” but that Asians “worked doubly hard” while African Americans just “feel sorry for themselves.”

He continues, “Every Asian student has a very simple old American first name that symbolizes their desire for integration. Virtually every black has a strange new name that symbolizes their lack of desire for integration.”

“The comments were noxious, offensive, and have no place in civil discourse,” Duke University said in a statement reported by ABC. “Duke University has a deeply-held commitment to inclusiveness grounded in respect for all, and we encourage our community to speak out when they feel that those ideals are challenged or undermined, as they were in this case.”

Hough has since been placed on leave, according to multiple reports.

Hough told the News & Observer that his comments were misunderstood.

“Anyone who says anything is as racist and ignorant as I was called by a colleague,” he said. “The question is whether you want to get involved in the harassment and few do. I am 80 and figure I can speak the truth as I see it. Ignorant I am not.”

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.

Please enter a valid email address.

* The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again.

Sign Up Now

An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later.

Check here if you would like to receive subscription offers and other promotions via email from TIME group companies.

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you!

For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Subscribe to TIME

Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.berenson@time.com.