People react after FBI reveals no hate crime in Bubba Wallace noose incident
An FBI investigation found that NASCAR’s only black driver, Bubba Wallace, was not the target of a hate crime.
On Tuesday, the FBI said the noose in Bubba Wallace’s team garage at Talledega Superspeedway in Alabama, was a garage door pull rope that had been there since last fall.
MORE: No charges in NASCAR noose incident involving Black driver Bubba Wallace
As the news broke, critics were quick to jump on social media, comparing Wallace, NASCAR’s only black driver to ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollet, who came under fire for admittedly lying about a racist and homophobic attack last year.
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The hashtag Bubba Smollet, began trending on Twitter.
"I think that comparison is ridiculous," said Kim Davis, a sports journalist and host of "Chalk Talk."
Davis says the harsh backlash is unfair to Wallace, whose situation is far different from Smollet’s.
"It is not as though Bubba Wallace walked into work one day and he went to the head of NASCAR and said hey, look what I found! That's not how this happened. I don't think anyone should be blaming Bubba Wallace for somehow being sensitive or making something up because it was not him who brought this to the attention of authorities," Davis said.
Wallace has been a hot topic recently, first for sporting an “I Can't Breathe” shirt over his firesuit in solidarity with Houston native, George Floyd, and for flaunting a ‘Black Lives Matter’ paint scheme on his car during a race in Virginia.
MORE: NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace set to drive car with #BlackLivesMatter paint scheme at Wednesday race
Wallace also successfully pushed for the stock car series to ban the Confederate Flag at its venues less than two weeks ago.
Davis believes the measures are a step in the right direction but recognizes that more work still needs to be done.
NASCAR: Confederate flag prohibited at all events, properties
"Tensions are high. A lot is happening and NASCAR is a sport that has not been very friendly to African Americans. Even since NASCAR's decided to remove the Confederate flag, a lot of its fans or people who follow the sport have not been thrilled with that decision," Davis said.