Black teen issues a surprising statement after racist hazing video goes viral

After racist video filmed by Moline High School football players in Illinois went viral, the Black teen who was the subject of the video released a statement that showed a remarkable tone of forgiveness, the Quad City Times reports.

In the video, which surfaced on Friday, team members can be heard cheering when the teen is told to sit in a locker that has bananas hanging in it.

"I want to make it known that I'm fine. Everyone is worried about me and showing concern for me and I really appreciate it. Second, can everyone please stop talking about the incident and video? I understand everyone wants justice for me and they want what they think is right to be done, but I already made my feelings known to the police and my friends about how I feel about everything," the teen's statement read.

"I love the football team I'm on and they're good guys. I know that personally. I talked to the people involved individually and they apologized. We had a heartfelt talk about it and I told them how I felt," the unidentified teen continued. "So please don't harass, bully, or threaten them at all. Lastly, I want to get my life back together, and my student-athlete life back on track, so if you do ever see me or know who I am, treat me as a human first, not a victim."

The Moline Police and the Moline-Coal Valley School District are both separately investigating the incident.

"We all agree that regardless if the students viewed this as a joke, it is unacceptable behavior," said Moline Chief of Police Darren Gault. "This is a teaching moment for everyone and a reminder that we can do better. We can treat people better. We can be better friends. We can be better teammates. We can be better people."