Steve Spurrier said in 2007 that South Carolina should take down the Confederate flag

The recent hate crime massacre in Charleston has brought the issue of South Carolina’s prominent display of the Confederate flag back to the forefront of debate.

The state’s most visible public figure, South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier, pointedly said in 2007 the flag should no longer be an official state symbol.

Transcript, via the AP:

“My opinion is we don’t need the Confederate flag at our Capitol,” Spurrier said Saturday. “I don’t really know anybody that wants it there, but I guess there are a lot of South Carolinians that do want it there.”

[...] Spurrier is heard saying the South Carolina-Tennessee game last year, which was featured on ESPN’s “GameDay,” was marred “by some clown ... waving that dang, damn Confederate flag behind the TV set. And it was embarrassing to me and I know embarrassing to our state.

“I realize I’m not supposed to get in the political arena as a football coach, but if anybody were ever to ask me about that damn Confederate flag, I would say we need to get rid of it. I’ve been told not to talk about that. But if anyone were ever to ask me about it, I certainly wish we could get rid of it.”

Update: South Carolina’s AD, school president, and both head basketball coaches have weighed in as well, along with perhaps the best QB in school history: