The father of the 17-year-old boy killed at a high school track meet in Texas referred to his son's convicted killer, Karmelo Anthony, as a 'watermelon felon.'
The father of the 17-year-old boy killed at a high school track meet in Texas reportedly referred to his son's convicted killer,, Jeff Metcalf made the remark on Sarah Fields' "JinxedSip" podcast, which marked his first opportunity to speak out after a Texas judge lifted the gag order on the case.for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf in April 2025.
Anthony, who is Black, was convicted of murder by a Collin County jury and sentenced on Tuesday.
"I respect everyone until they disrespect me," Jeff Metcalf says in the video, which was circulating on social media. "I've been disrespected by so many people, so many times while I've had to sit here and take it. " Jeff Metcalf went on to name multiple people, including Anthony's father, saying he's a coward who raised a coward.
He also calls out Anthony's mother, describing her as a "drunk b*tch" and asked her what she did to her son to "make him stab somebody.
" "Let me make something racist up so y'all can go viral," Jeff Metcalf says. "I got a new name for Melo, OK? Because he was such this little boy y'all were trying to portray. How about watermelon felon?
How's that one strike you? I hope he enjoyed his first night in that cell last night because he's going to have many nights to think about what the f*ck he did.
" He says he forgave Anthony for killing his son so he doesn't "carry the hate and the anger," adding that he doesn't want it to "eat him up. " "So, when people ask me, 'How can you forgive him? ' If I didn't, I would have wound up killing him and going to prison myself," he says. "You can't make a good decision if you're emotional.
Emotion and intellect do not mix. If you're emotional, you can't come up with a logical solution.
" The comments quickly sparked debate on social media, where people condemned the phrase as racially offensive. Others defended the grieving father. The case has drawn national attention and fueled heated discussions about race, self-defense and the criminal justice system. Prosecutors argued that Anthony fatally stabbed Metcalf during an argument at the meet, while defense attorneys maintained he acted in self-defense.
Jurors rejected that argument and found Anthony guilty of murder.
"Wow! Just freakin wow! DISGUSTING," she wrote on X soon after the verdict came in.
"This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!! " While Cardi B didn't mention Anthony by name, she shared posts from other X users who showed support for him and his family. As of Friday at 4: 30 p.m. ET, her post raked in nearly 18 million views.
Jeff Metcalf previously urged the public not to politicize his son's death or turn the case into a racial issue, saying after the sentencing that the case was about "right and wrong. "
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