The speaker of the Student Government Association Senate resigned Wednesday after a video emerged showing him using a racial slur.

The video depicts Nathan Terrell, who was running for the executive vice president of SGA, using a racial slur while walking on College Street. 

The video was sent to the Herald using an anonymous email titled “Concerned WKU Student” and said it was a screen-recording from a Snapchat video.

Terrell agreed to an interview with the Herald and initially denied the video depicted him. However, Terrell eventually confirmed that he was the subject of the video and asked that his comments would be off the record.

Terrell later issued the following statement regarding the video and announced that he would no longer be seeking the EVP position:

“I confirm the derogatory statement was said by me. While I did not mean the use of this word to be racially offensive, I take ownership of this statement and apologize from the bottom of my heart for the mistake I made. This mistake was not representative of my morals and principles. I have dedicated many of my efforts towards diversity and inclusion in all I do, especially within SGA. This is why I am so upset with myself for using such an exclusive term. I apologize to the individuals I harmed. I apologize to WKU. I apologize to my family and friends. I apologize to all the communities and organizations I misrepresented. That is why I am removing myself from the [Garrett-Nathan-Abbey] ticket and bid to the office of Executive Vice-President. I failed, and I hurt all of those around me and I will not stop using this mistake as a learning lesson, not just for myself, but for my community.”

In the interview, Terrell asserted that the anonymous source who submitted the video likely had political motivations behind the action.

“Whoever submitted it, let’s be real, has some political agenda against me and the GNA ticket,” Terrell said. “That video was probably taken from a year ago, who knows, but who I am now and what I stand for is focused on making sure we’re all supported and we all can grow.”

Michael Collins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @mjcollinsnews.