TAMPA, Fla. – A University of Tampa professor has been fired after tweeting about Hurricane Harvey.
The sociology professor targeted Texas in the wake of the deadly flooding, writing, "I don't believe in instant karma, but this kinda feels like it for Texas. Hopefully this will help them realize the GOP doesn't care about them.”
Professor Kenneth Story is now apologizing for the tweet.
“There's a lot of people out there who are very upset with what I said and I want them to know that's not what I intended," Storey said. "I didn't realize how strong the storm was at that point and I tweeted something that was worded very poorly. For that I apologize.”
Storey said he's passionate about politics and climate change and that the tweet was not thought out.
“I deleted the tweet, but by that point it was too late. There were screen shots of it out there," Storey said.
Following Storey's tweet, the University of Tampa posted a statement on its Facebook page saying, in part, "We condemn the comment and the sentiment behind them. Storey has been relieved of his duties at UT."
While Storey still says he doesn't believe in karma, he told News 6 he's sorry for taking the attention away from the people suffering in Houston.
“I got caught up in the moment,” he said. “I got caught up in the discourse we’re having right now. I lowered myself to that and that is not who I am.”
Storey tweeted an apology on his account before he deactivated it. He said he's taking it day by day and that he realizes words have consequences.