NASCAR suspended Clements for using the “n-word” in a Feb. 23 conversation with MTV blogger Marty Beckerman at Daytona International Speedway.

Clements was informed of his reinstatement after completing a session of racial insensitivity counseling with Dr. Richard Lapchick, the director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, on Monday.
“We’re pleased that Jeremy has taken these important steps and will return to racing starting this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway,” Steve ODonnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations, said Wednesday.

The 28-year-old driver, who runs the No. 51 for his family-owned team in Spartanburg, S.C., will be back on the track for Saturday’s race after missing the past two events at Phoenix and Las Vegas.

“It’s been a tough time for me for sure,” Clements told ESPN.com. “I learned a lot from that class. I learned a lot about different words, stuff I didn’t know before.

“I learned a great deal about that and myself, how it affects everything that has to do with family, friends, church, sponsors and the team. I’m excited to be back in the race car. Nothing like that will ever happen again.”

Clements said he used the slur as an adjective during a conversation with Beckerman and in the presence of a NASCAR public relations person who was looking for directions to Johanna Long’s hauler.

He has since apologized to Beckerman, who was at DIS writing a piece for his Guy Code blog, the PR person and others he may have offended by his remark.

He said the comment was not meant to be racist in any way, that it was just a word some use in the racing community he grew up around to describe a driver “roughing somebody up.”

Beckerman confirmed in an MTV news article that Clements didn’t direct the word at another driver, that he was illustrating that “if you drive roughly, you’ll be treated roughly.”

While not making excuses, Clements acknowledged it is a word he hears in rap music and movies all the time.

“There is no use for that word in our sport,” Clements said. NASCAR in a statement referred to the comment as an “intolerable and insensitive remark” that violated the sanctioning body’s Code of Conduct for actions detrimental to stock car racing.

The rulebook prohibits any “public statement” that criticizes, ridicules or otherwise disparages another person based on race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age or handicapping condition.

The comment came at a time when the sport was celebrating the first woman, Danica Patrick, winning the pole for the Daytona 500 and the arrival of black driver Darrell Wallace Jr. into a full-time Truck Series ride.

“We want as many different fans as we can get,” Clements said. “We want a diverse set of fans and people to be in the sport. I definitely don’t want people turned away from [NASCAR] just because that word was used one time.

“I definitely wasn’t very smart about it.”

Lapchick’s class cost Clements $2,400, plus travel expenses. One of his sponsors wanted to pay the fee, but Clements said he wouldn’t accept it.

Clements said the slur cost him one sponsor for one race. He said two more are waiting to see if there is any further backlash before committing.

“It just affects a lot of stuff, losing the sponsor, not being in the car,” he said. “We’re going to get through it. It seems to be the end of it. I just want to get back to racing and get over this.”

While he has picked up a lot of new followers on Twitter and Facebook since the suspension was announced, Clements said this is not what he or his underfunded race team wants to be remembered for.

“I don’t want to be associated with it one bit,” he said. “It’s embarrassing. I’ve been to schools [to speak] where there’s mostly African-American kids and talked to them and tried to get them to come to races. To think if they saw this … it’s embarrassing to me.

“I want to be the role model I was trying to shoot for before all this.”

Clements also doesn’t want to be forced to sit again. The only other time his racing career was sidetracked came in 2004, when a torque arm broke in his ARCA car, causing the drive shaft to pull out of the transmission and fly into the cockpit. The drive shaft shattered Clements’ right hand, resulting in 12 operations that sidelined him for a year.

“I think everyone deserves a second chance,” Clements said. “You’ve got to look at a person’s record. I’ve never been in trouble with NASCAR at all before this. It’s a shame it had to end like that with the suspension, but I would like to think it won’t hurt my future.

“I want to make the best of it I can and have people say he did the right thing, he did the best job with what he had and move on.”

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The league said the decision to reinstate Payton was made after a meeting between the coach and commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday in New Orleans.

“Sean fully complied with all the requirements imposed on him during his suspension. More important, it is clear that Sean understands and accepts his responsibilities as a head coach and the vital role that coaches play in promoting player safety and setting an example for how the game should be played at all levels. We are committed to delivering football that fans love and the safety players deserve. Coach Payton agrees and I look forward to working with him going forward to do that.”

The NFL said Payton is allowed to attend Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., this week and resume his duties with the team.

“I am thankful today Commissioner Goodell has granted me reinstatement. As I stated back in March, I, along with Mickey Loomis, take full responsibility for all aspects of our football program. I clearly recognize that mistakes were made, which led to league violations,” Payton said in a statement.

“Furthermore, I have assured the Commissioner a more diligent protocol will be followed. Lastly, I feel we have learned from our mistakes and are ready to move forward. I want to thank our owner, Mr. [Tom] Benson, and all of our great fans for the overwhelming support throughout this past year. I am excited to be back as Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints!”

Earlier this month, The Saints signed Payton to a five-year contract extension that runs through the 2017 season.

The deal is expected to pay Payton more than $8 million annually, which should establish him as the NFL’s highest paid coach, a league source told ESPN.

“We are all thankful that Sean Payton has been reinstated. We have a lot of work to do and we are in the middle of it right now,” Benson said in a statement. “He is our head coach and we welcome him back. We look forward to a great 2013 season and making another run at a World Championship for our fans!”

Payton is the only coach in Saints history to win a Super Bowl. But his legacy was tarnished by the NFL’s bounty probe, as Goodell ruled that Payton failed to exert proper institutional control over a cash-for-hits bounty program run by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from 2009 to 2011.

Williams was suspended indefinitely for his role in the bounty program. Williams has not been reinstated by the NFL and his status will not be addressed until another team is interested in hiring him, sources told ESPN. It was reported in early January that Williams would not return to the Rams, where he had been hired prior to his suspension.

The commissioner also suspended Loomis for half the season and assistant head coach Joe Vitt for six games.

Loomis and Vitt are in Mobile evaluating players. Loomis said he was caught off guard by the news of Payton’s return. But he said having Payton back sooner than expected will help the Saints.

“Every day makes a difference. We’ve certainly missed Sean in terms of the football team and all the things that go with our business and the game. But look, I miss his friendship. We all miss his friendship. We miss him as a person. I’m excited that he’s going to be back here and fired up that he’s back.”

Vitt said he talked to Payton on Tuesday morning and that he should join the Saints’ contingent in Alabama on Wednesday.

“We just found out on the way to practice,” Vitt said. “Mr. B called Mickey and we’re all excited. Sean went and spent the day in New York (Monday). He just got back in Dallas. I talked to him on the phone about 5 o’clock this morning. He’s packing his bags, so we’ll expect he’ll be here some time” Wednesday.

Vitt agreed with Loomis that the timing of Payton’s return is good for the team.

Payton is “going to hit the ground running with both feet. His jaw is going to be set. He’ll have a note pad full of thoughts and ideas and he’s going to have to get himself caught up with the evaluation process of our team and looking at film, which he’ll do. This is perfect, getting him back now, because he’s going to be here for the readings of our players. He’s going to be here for the readings of these college seniors. We start handing out unrestricted free agent tape on Thursday and Friday of this week.

“This is where you’re building the foundation of your football team, with the evaluation process of these draft-eligible juniors and seniors and the free agents that are out there.”

Payton is 62-34 in regular-season games as Saints coach and 5-3 in the postseason. During the three seasons before his suspension, the Saints won 41 regular-season and playoff games combined, more than any other team in the NFL.

Without Payton on the sideline this season, the Saints missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

There remains one outstanding issue for the Saints stemming from the bounty probe: What will become of the Saints’ second pick next spring? As part of the bounty punishment, Goodell fined the Saints $500,000 and took away second-round picks in 2012 and 2013. However, Goodell left open the possibility of restoring the 2013 second-rounder and instead docking the team a later-round pick if he is satisfied with the club’s level of cooperation in the bounty matter.

Payton’s reinstatement is one more step for the Saints to return to normalcy, but for Vitt, it doesn’t bring closure to the bounty scandal.

“It doesn’t for me. You’re going to have to ask Sean that question, Mickey that question, Vilma that question. It certainly doesn’t for me. I can forgive. I’m not going to forget. It is what it is.”

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Athletic director Fred Glass issued a statement Sunday saying the NCAA has cleared Hollowell of any potential infractions. On Friday, Glass said Hollowell and his family notified the school of a potential “compliance issue.” Glass says those details will be released later.

Glass thanked the NCAA for making a quick ruling and accepting Indiana’s self-reported secondary violation, which led to the immediate reinstatement of Hollowell.

Indiana can use another body after losing sophomore forward Austin Etherington for the season with a fractured left kneecap. Backup guard Maurice Creek also is out indefinitely with a right foot injury.

Hollowell is averaging 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds for Indiana (12-1).

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