Nicholas Sandmann: “Very Excited to Say I Will Be Graduating! … Don’t Back Down and Keep Winning!”

Sandmann was the center of a fake news controversy, where the media falsely accused him of harrassing an elderly Native American activist.

The accusations were created from a video clip that was taken out of context.

The story went viral after late night comedians accused Sandmann, a young white male, of "smirking" and getting in the path of the activist.

When the full video surfaced, however, it proved that Sandmann was innocent and was the victim of harrassment, not its perpetrator.

The Washington Examiner has more details on Sandmann's future plans:

The Catholic high school student who was the subject of controversial media coverage in 2019 because of a misleading video clip announced he is headed to college on a scholarship.

In a message posted on Friday, Nicholas Sandmann said he was "very excited" to share that he had been awarded a scholarship to attend college in the fall.

"Very excited to say I will be graduating!" Sandmann wrote. "After being told I would never get into college and my life was done, I’ll be going to an amazing school on a scholarship! Don’t back down and keep winning!"

Sandmann was swept up in controversy in early 2019 when CNN and several media figures accused the MAGA hat-wearing teenager of ridiculing a minority after a video showed him smiling in the face of a Native American man at the Lincoln Memorial during his school's trip to the annual March for Life.

More video was later released that showed the entirety of the event, showing Sandmann and his peers being verbally accosted by a group of Black Hebrew Israelites before the Native American man approached and beat a drum close to Sandmann's face.

Ever since the highly publicized incident, Sandmann has lived under constant threat.

Though the story was proven false, Sandmann's life has been forever upended by the vicious and relentless media coverage.

Sandmann filed defamation lawsuits against several media companies including CNN.

The combined totals equaled $800 million in damages.

Fox 19 has more details on the status of the lawsuits, including the settlement with CNN:

CNN agreed Tuesday to settle a lawsuit with Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann.

The amount of the settlement was not made public during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Covington, Kentucky.

Sandmann’s lawsuit sought $800 million from CNN, the Washington Post and NBC Universal.

Trial dates are still not set for Sandmann’s lawsuit against NBC Universal and the Washington Post.

The Washington Post suit sought $250 million. A federal judge let a portion of the suit go forward after The Post filed a motion to dismiss it.

Sandmann’s attorney, Lin Wood, said, “This case will be tried not one minute earlier or later than when it is ready.”

[...]

Wood said the damages were sought due to “emotional distress Nicholas and his family suffered." He also said the family had to move from their home temporarily and that Nicholas was not permitted to attend school directly after the trip to Washington.

A lawsuit is expected to be filed against Phillips, Wood said. He indicated that lawsuit would seek $5 million, but the judge said that Phillips does not have as much money as the other defendants.

They also plan to sue Gannett, owners of The Enquirer, according to Wood.

Graduates of 2020 will not have normal graduations, as the COVID-19 pandemic has upended daily life.

Still, we celebrate with Nicholas for his great accomplishment!

We look forward to what you will accomplish in your next chapter of life!