PROVO, Utah, Aug. 27, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — BYU has banned a fan from all of its athletic venues following allegations he repeatedly directed racial slurs at a Black player on the Duke women’s volleyball team Friday night.
BYU athletics officials say the fan is not a student but was sitting in the student section during the Cougars’ 3-1 (25-14, 25-19, 19-25, 25-19) victory over the Blue Devils. The crowd of 5,507 set an all-time attendance record for the Smith Fieldhouse.
The godmother of Duke outside hitter Rachel Richardson tweeted about the student-athlete’s experience at the Smith Fieldhouse, saying “she was called a [racial slur] every time she served.”
“She was threatened by a white male that told her to watch her back going to the team bus. A police officer had to be put by their bench,” Lesa Pamplin, of Fort Worth, Texas, tweeted Saturday.
My Goddaughter is the only black starter for Dukes volleyball team. While playing yesterday, she was called a nigger every time she served. She was threatened by a white male that told her to watch her back going to the team bus. A police officer had to be put by their bench. pic.twitter.com/rmGpXTYfua
— Lesa Pamplin for County Criminal Court #5 (@LesaPamplin) August 27, 2022
“Not one freaking adult did anything to protect her. I’m looking at you @BYU,” she said in a follow-up tweet. “You allowed this racist behavior to continue without intervening. Apologizing to her parents after the fact is not enough. She will soon be sharing her story.”
The BYU Athletics Department issued an apology to Duke University and its student-athletes in a statement Saturday. A match between Duke and Rider at the doTERRA Classic on Saturday night also was moved from the Smith Fieldhouse to an alternate location in Provo, according to the Duke Athletics Department.
“All of God’s children deserve love and respect, and BYU Athletics is completely committed to leading out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice of any kind and rooting out racism. When a student-athlete or fan comes to a BYU sporting event, we expect that they will be treated with love and respect and feel safe on our campus,” the BYU statement reads.
“It is for this reason BYU has banned a fan who was identified by Duke during last night’s volleyball match from all BYU athletic venues. Although this fan was sitting in BYU’s student section, this person is not a BYU student.
“To say we are extremely disheartened in the actions of a small number of fans in last night’s volleyball match in the Smith Fieldhouse between BYU and Duke is not strong enough language. We will not tolerate behavior of this kind. Specifically, the use of a racial slur at any of our athletic events is absolutely unacceptable, and BYU Athletics holds a zero-tolerance approach to this behavior.
“We wholeheartedly apologize to Duke University and especially its student-athletes competing last night for what they experienced. We want BYU athletic events to provide a safe environment for all, and there is no place for behaviors like this in our venues.”
Official statement from BYU Athletics. pic.twitter.com/5bIwXNwr7J
— BYU Cougars (@BYUCougars) August 27, 2022
When announcing the change of venue for Saturday’s match, Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King also issued a statement about the incident.
“First and foremost, our priority is the well-being of Duke student-athletes,” King said. “They should always have the opportunity to compete in an inclusive, anti-racist environment which promotes equality and fair play. Following extremely unfortunate circumstances at Friday night’s match at BYU, we are compelled to shift today’s match against Rider to a different location to afford both teams the safest atmosphere for competition.
“We are appreciative of the support from BYU’s athletic administration as we navigate this troubling situation. I have been in touch with the student-athletes who have been deeply impacted, will continue to support them in every way possible and look forward to connecting further upon their return from Provo.”
Pamplin said her goddaughter is the only Black starter on the team.
BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe told USA Today he had spoken with Richardson and Duke coach Jolene Nagel about the incident and how it was handled.
“My concern is for Rachel and her well-being, and the school has investigated up to this point. The bottom line is that we are going to have to do more,” Holmoe told USA Today. “And we are going to have to be vigilant and continue to say that this is not to be tolerated in any way.”
Holmoe also addressed the crowd at the Smith Fieldhouse prior to BYU’s match with Washington State on Saturday night.
“Before tonight’s game, I felt compelled to talk to our fans in attendance and address last night’s very unfortunate incident,” he tweeted. “Cougar Nation, we’ve got to be better, and we’ve got to have the courage to take care of each other and our guests at our BYU sporting events.”
Before tonight’s game, I felt compelled to talk to our fans in attendance and address last night’s very unfortunate incident. Cougar Nation, we’ve got to be better, and we’ve got to have the courage to take care of each other and our guests at our BYU sporting events. pic.twitter.com/5qsze8i51G
— Tom Holmoe (@TomHolmoe) August 28, 2022
AN APOLOGY IS ONLY MANIPULATION OF THE RACIST ATTITUDE AT THIS INSTITUTION. NO ARREST/CHARGE OF A HATE CRIME ? THE WORD WAS REPEATED NUMEROUS TIMES WITHOUT THOSE IN ATTENDENCE, INCUDING SWORN POLICE OFFICERS, TAKING ACTION TO STOP/DETAIN/IDENTIFY THE PERSON . WHAT REASONABLE PERSON WOULD BELIEVE THAT A “BANNING OF THIS INDIVIDUAL” CAN ACTUALLY BE A REALITY IN A FUTURE SPORTS EVENT.
What a shame, too bad he wasn’t charged with a hate crime.
Why didn’t someone around this person do something to stop such deplorable behavior? I don’t understand?
Have you ever been to a sporting event with an unruly fan? Did you step in to “stop their deplorable behavior?” If verbal chastisement doesn’t stop the behavior, would you be prepared to put hands on this person? What exactly would you do about it? In the middle of a game, where the environment is loud, and it’s difficult to investigate, or clearly see everything that’s going on, and everyone who’s involved, what exactly would you have done?
You know. Intervening requires courage. Would you sit by and let someone treat your child the same way? What can you do? Get a video. Contact the ushers. Call the police. Come on people. Being complicit is as bad as doing the deed.