Jeff Metcalf, the father of Austin Metcalf is breaking his silence for the first time since the verdict hit. Jeff opened up to CBS News Texas about the sentencing, the trial, and the concept of forgiveness.
As we previously shared, a Texas jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty in the 2025 stabbing death of Austin Metcalf during a track meet, handing down a 35-year prison sentence. In his conversation with CBS, Jeff emphasized that Karmelo Anthony’s case isn’t rooted in race.
“Look at the effect, not just the effect here between the Metcalf family and the Anthony family. Look what it did,” he stated. “One, to those kids they have to live with. Two, it took on this huge wider ‘Let’s have a race war throughout the nation.'” Jeff Metcalf also claimed that his son didn’t approach Anthony with any racist intentions regarding leaving a track team tent.
“This case was never about race,” he asserted. “There’s going to be those people now, just, you know, try to throw shade on the whole trial with the jury makeup and the speed of it and that sort of thing. I mean, those are the same people that said he was jumped by four people. He had, his phone was broken. You’re going to spin whatever story to try to keep yourself afloat.”
Jeff also believes Anthony should’ve faced a life sentence. He made it clear that if Anthony gets a chance at parole in 17 years, he’ll be there to fight against it. “If I’m still alive, yes, I will be there in person,” he declared. “If not, I am going to make a video. If I’m passed on, that can be played.”