PROVO, Utah, Nov. 7, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Citing allegations of racist remarks directed at a Black women’s volleyball player in August, the University of Pacific has forfeited a scheduled match at Brigham Young University.
BYU had been scheduled to host Pacific in a West Coast Conference match at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Smith Fieldhouse, but the Tigers decided to forfeit, according to a statement from the university Monday.
“The volleyball team has decided to not play the November 10 game at BYU,” Pacific officials said in an email to Gephardt Daily. “The team expressed concerns following reports of racist and hostile comments during an August 26 match. Pacific stands with our student-athletes.”
The statement refers to allegations from Duke outside hitter Rachel Richardson, who said she and her Black teammates were “targeted and racially heckled through the entirety of the match” by a fan at BYU on Aug. 26.
BYU initially banned a fan from all of its athletic venues following the allegations but lifted the sanctions after the university’s internal investigation failed to corroborate allegations of racial heckling.
BYU officials called Pacific’s decision to forfeit rather than work with the university to address their concerns “unwarranted and deeply disappointing.”
“The University of the Pacific’s decision to forfeit this week’s women’s volleyball match is unwarranted and deeply disappointing. Following the Aug. 26 allegation, BYU conducted an extensive review and found no evidence to corroborate this allegation,” according to a statement from the university.
“As we have stated previously, BYU will not tolerate any conduct that would make a student-athlete feel unsafe in our athletic environments. It is unfortunate that Pacific would make a decision that perpetuates the very challenge we are working to heal in our polarized society.”
In September, the West Coast Conference issued a statement of support for BYU’s investigation into the allegations.
Conference officials at the time said BYU “implemented the appropriate game management protocols during the match and has since taken the appropriate actions to thoroughly investigate this incident.”
“We also believe BYU has adopted appropriate measures and policies to help avoid future incidents. The safety and respect for one another is paramount in sport, higher education and in life,” according to the statement.
BYU officials say the university provides “one of the best environments in college volleyball,” noting its hosting of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament the past seven seasons.
“The most storied programs in volleyball, both women’s and men’s, have competed for decades on our campus and expressed appreciation for their experience at BYU,” BYU’s statement continues.
“We recognize the real challenges of racism in our society, and we reiterate our strong belief that the solution is to work together in addressing these issues and not to separate from one another. We regret that Pacific elected not to work with us in addressing their concerns.”
Pacific becomes the latest college sports program to opt to avoid playing in Provo since the incident. The South Carolina women’s basketball team canceled a pair of games with BYU amid the controversy.
Richardson tweeted Aug. 28 about her experience in Provo, saying “slurs and comments grew into threats, which caused us to feel unsafe.”
The BYU Athletics Department issued an apology to Duke University and its student-athletes in a statement Aug. 27. A match that night between Duke and Rider at the doTERRA Classic was moved from the Smith Fieldhouse to an alternate location in Provo.
