Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. has agreed to take a leave of absence from his post at the evangelical college after its Board of Trustees requested him to do so, WDBJ7 reports.
“The Executive Committee of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the full Board, met today and requested that Jerry Falwell, Jr. take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as President and Chancellor,” the Board said in a statement.
The move comes one day after Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) tweeted that he needs to step down in light of his “appalling” behavior.
Falwell has been on the receiving end of criticism due to his handling of school policy in light of the coronavirus pandemic. He has also come under criticism for his tone-deaf mockery of Governor Ralph Northam by using an image allegedly of Northam in blackface from Northam’s college yearbook — a decision that resulted in some athletes leaving the university in protest.
This week, Falwell posted and later deleted an Instagram photo of him next to a woman, with both of their pants unzipped, while he was holding a glass full of dark liquid.. He said the picture was a joke and promised his children, “I’m going to try to be a good boy from here on out.”
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