Well, here's the thing, not to get all down into it. But does using racist language make you a "racist?" Richie Incognito may be a loathsome brute, who acts stupid and says even stupider stuff, but is he a racist if he said something racial to Ngakoue?
We have inappropriate definitions for things, with vague lines, and a tense climate when discussing it. It's not shocking that it's controversial at all, too me. Everybody has a view and a stance, and we are all imperfect communicators at times.
My thinking is that if you pooled all people and found out how they truly "felt," 90% would all be in basic agreement. The other lunatic fringe is just that.