FLORENCE, Ala. -- The University of North Alabama says a walk-on football player is off the team after sending a racist tweet about President Barack Obama.

The university said coaches made the move after Bradley Patterson described Obama with a racial slur while complaining that the president's speech about the Connecticut school massacre pre-empted an NFL game Sunday night.

Sports publicist Jeff Hodges said the school found that there's no question the tweet was issued by Patterson. Patterson couldn't be reached by The Associated Press for comment Monday.

Hodges says Patterson joined the team as a walk-on after the fourth game of this season.