Harrisonburg, VA — A disturbing incident of public racism at a James Madison University (JMU) football game has ignited widespread fury and swift online backlash after the individual responsible was identified as Scott Pogorelc, a Centreville-based engineer and longtime Democratic donor.
The confrontation unfolded on Saturday during JMU’s homecoming game against Georgia Southern at Bridgeforth Stadium. Videos circulating on social media captured a white man, later confirmed as Pogorelc, shouting vitriolic slurs at Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, who was attending the event as a guest. Among the audible outbursts were commands for Sears—a Black conservative Republican and Jamaican immigrant—to “go back to Haiti” and accusations of her being a “traitor.” Sears, who serves as Virginia’s first Black woman elected to statewide office, remained composed amid the verbal assault, surrounded by security as the crowd reacted with audible shock.
The footage, which quickly amassed thousands of views across platforms like X (formerly Twitter), prompted immediate doxxing efforts by conservative activists. By Sunday morning, Pogorelc’s identity was revealed through public records and social media sleuthing. The 50-something engineer resides at 4706 Devereaux Ct. in Centreville, Virginia, and works as a technical specialist at Zeta Associates, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin specializing in communications signals collection and processing for intelligence and defense sectors.
Pogorelc’s professional background includes contributions to GPS and satellite orbit determination projects for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), as documented in technical papers from the 1990s published by the Institute of Navigation. He has also been linked to federal contracts with the U.S. Air Force, according to government procurement databases. Despite his expertise in aerospace engineering, Pogorelc’s personal politics lean sharply left: Campaign finance records show him as a prolific donor to Virginia Democratic causes, including contributions to state party committees and progressive candidates.
The identification came courtesy of accounts like @NoVA_Campaigns, which posted: “The white, liberal Dem at @JMUFootball game, shouting racist slurs at @WinsomeSears is Scott Pogorelc, of Centreville, VA. ‘Go back to Haiti!’ ‘Traitor!’ An engineer with Zeta Associates, a @LockheedMartin subsidiary.” The post included screenshots of Pogorelc’s LinkedIn profile and address, fueling calls for his professional repercussions.
Adding a layer of irony, Pogorelc’s son, James Pogorelc, is a standout offensive lineman for the JMU Dukes. The younger Pogorelc, a former Stanford Cardinal who transferred to Duke before landing at JMU, had been a key player in the team’s 38-28 victory over Georgia Southern—the very game where his father made headlines for all the wrong reasons. James, a two-time all-conference honoree in high school, was not implicated in the incident, but the family connection has amplified the scandal’s personal toll.
Sears addressed the episode on Sunday via a statement on X, condemning the outburst as emblematic of “the ugly underbelly of intolerance masquerading as progressivism.” “I have faced worse in my life—from immigrating to America with nothing to serving in the Marines—but this reminds us that racism knows no party lines,” she wrote. “Let this be a wake-up call for those who preach unity while practicing division.” Sears, who narrowly lost the 2021 gubernatorial race to Glenn Youngkin, has long been a lightning rod for progressive ire due to her staunch conservative stances on issues like gun rights and school choice.
As of Sunday afternoon, Zeta Associates had not issued a public response, though employees and colleagues began distancing themselves on professional networks. Lockheed Martin, the parent company, emphasized in a brief statement: “We are aware of the allegations and are conducting an internal review. Our values do not tolerate hate or discrimination in any form.” Democratic leaders in Virginia, including Gov. Youngkin’s administration rivals, were notably silent, with some party insiders privately expressing embarrassment over the optics.
Pogorelc himself has gone radio silent since the videos surfaced, with no public apology or comment forthcoming. Attempts to reach him at his Centreville home were unsuccessful, and his social media profiles appear scrubbed or private. The incident has reignited debates over “tolerance” within liberal circles, with conservative commentators like those at Citizen Free Press dubbing it “the face of modern Democratic hypocrisy.”
In a state where political temperatures run as hot as JMU’s tailgate parties, this outburst serves as a stark reminder that viral moments can upend lives overnight. For Pogorelc, what began as a sideline heckle has snowballed into a career-threatening firestorm—one that even his engineering precision couldn’t navigate. As investigations into potential hate speech charges loom, the question remains: Will this be a fleeting scandal, or the catalyst for broader accountability in Virginia’s polarized arena?