FBI says Bubba Wallace not the victim of hate crime; noose had been in garage since last year

UPDATE: An FBI investigation has revealed that a rope fashioned like a noose was simply being used to prop open a door inside the Talladega garage where Bubba Wallace's NASCAR team was recently assigned. In fact, video and photographic evidence revealed that the noose has been positioned in such a way as late as last fall.
"The FBI report concludes, and photographic evidence confirms, that the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned there since as early as last fall," NASCAR said in its statement. "This was obviously well before the 43 team's arrival and garage assignment.
ESPN broke the news Tuesday afternoon, which came after a huge outpouring of support for Wallace from all corners of professional sports around the world. Wallace, NASCAR's only black driver, has been at the center of the sport's decision to ban Confederate flags from race cars and its arenas.
"We appreciate the FBI's quick and thorough investigation and are thankful to learn that this was not an intentional, racist act against Bubba," NASCAR added in their statement. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all who love racing."
Original story begins below.
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NASCAR's Bubba Wallace took a bold stance two weeks ago by pushing the sport to ban the Confederate flag from its events.
Just two days later, NASCAR released a statement announcing the ban, saying that: "The presence of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry."
Wallace is the only full-time black driver in NASCAR's top circuit. He drives the No. 43 car with Richard Petty Motorsports.
Wallace's bravery was challenged by an extremely cowardly and racist act on Sunday when a noose was hung in his garage at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. There were also many Confederate flags flown outside of the raceway in protest of NASCAR's ban.
Fortunately, according to ESPN, a member of Wallace's team found the noose before Wallace and quickly notified NASCAR authorities.
The incident prompted a stern response from NASCAR.
"Late this afternoon, NASCAR was made aware that a noose was found in the garage stall of the 43 team. We are angry and outraged, and cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act," NASCAR said in a statement. "We have launched an immediate investigation, and will do everything we can to identify the person(s) responsible and eliminate them from the sport."
"As we have stated unequivocally, there is no place for racism in NASCAR, and this act only strengthens our resolve to make the sport open and welcoming to all."
Wallace knew there was going to be a backlash to his push to have the flags removed but that didn't stop him from speaking out. "There's going to be a lot of angry people that carry those flags proudly but it's time for change," he said.
Athletes from across the world of American sports have come together to support Wallace in the aftermath of the ugly incident. Many of NASCAR's biggest names apoke out on Twitter.
Los Angeles Laker LeBron James, arguably the most popular athlete in America, also sent a message of support for Wallace, calling the incident "Sickening!"
Athletes from the NFL, PGA Tour and even the WWE, sent their support as well.
Wallace has no intention of letting the incident stop his attempts to eliminate racism from the sport.
"Together, our sport has made a commitment to driving real change and championing a community that is accepting and welcoming of everyone," he said in a statement. "Nothing is more important and we will not be deterred by the reprehensible actions of those who seek to spread hate.
"As my mother told me today, 'They are just trying to scare you,'" he said. "This will not break me, I will not give in nor will I back down. I will continue to proudly stand for what I believe in."
In a show of solidarity on Monday, NASCAR drivers and crews pushed Wallace's car to the front of the grid at Talladega before the race.
- Viral ›
- NASCAR's only black driver asked them to ban the Confederate flag ... ›
- NASCAR racer Ray Ciccarelli says he'll quit after they banned ... ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.