South Carolina apologizes for arena DJ playing track by LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson’s late father
The athletic department of South Carolina has expressed regret to Flau’jae Johnson, her family, and LSU following an incident where the Gamecocks’ in-arena DJ played a song by Johnson’s deceased father after South Carolina secured a 66-56 win over LSU last Friday.
The university deemed the choice of song “inappropriate” and has decided to suspend the DJ, known as DJ T.O., for the team’s upcoming home game. They also plan to meet with her to “provide further education on our expectations for her in the future.”
“Her actions understandably upset Flau’jae Johnson and her family and were disrespectful to the LSU program and its supporters,” stated South Carolina. “Rivalries and passionate fan followings should enhance the spirit of sports, not aim at individual players. We regret that this occurred in our venue following a game that showcased the national spotlight on women’s basketball.”
After the No. 2 ranked Gamecocks defeated the No. 5 ranked Tigers in a highly awaited clash of top women’s basketball teams, DJ T.O. played the instrumental version of “Cut Friends,” a song by Johnson’s father, Jason, who was a rapper from Savannah, Georgia, under the name “Camoflauge.”
Jason Johnson lost his life to gun violence in May 2003, just six months before Flau’jae Johnson was born.
Flau’jae Johnson took to social media on Saturday night to criticize the music choice. She shared a screenshot of an Instagram story from DJ T.O. where the DJ acknowledged playing the song and captioned it with “my bad” accompanied by a crying laughing emoji.
“I’ll accept my loss, but this is just unacceptable behavior,” Johnson commented. “There’s nothing funny about that.”
Following Johnson’s post, DJ T.O. expressed regret for the song choice, clarifying in a social media statement that it was “never my intent to disrespect or offend anyone.” She also mentioned that she has listened to Camoflauge for years and frequently plays his music.
Flau’jae Johnson, who was a second-team all-SEC selection last season, contributed 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists in the game.
Outside of basketball, Johnson is following her father’s path by pursuing a music career and has signed with Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z.
