Brigham Young University’s athletics department said it “sincerely apologizes” to a fan who was banned for allegedly yelling at volleyball players who visited Duke University.
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Brigham Young University’s athletics department said it “sincerely apologizes” to a fan who was banned for allegedly yelling at volleyball players who visited Duke University.
Google Earth / Screenshot of NPR
Brigham Young University has apologized to a fan it was banned for allegedly shouting racist taunts at visiting black volleyball players from Duke University, says the investigation. of the school found no evidence of racial slurs or slander.
The school already has previously said it did not present any evidence of fan guilt. Responding to BYU’s latest announcement, Duke’s top athletics official said that she’s on the side of her players.
BYU says they have closed their investigation
Publishing the results of its investigation, BYU Athletics said last week to the point where it took a long time to figure out what moments the fan in question or anyone else might have been screaming at during the match. It said the effort included a review of multiple records, including video of the match from the school’s broadcast channel with the audio of the commentators removed and video footage from security cameras.
“We have also reached out to more than 50 individuals who attended the event,” the department said, from fans and BYU staff to Duke players and staff.
BYU Athletics said: “From our overall review, we did not find any evidence to corroborate the allegation that fans engaged in racist conduct or uttered slurs. racial ridicule at this event.”
Fans are prohibited from being BYU students, even though they were in the court-level student area near the visitor’s bench at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.
“We did not find any evidence that the individual engaged in such an activity,” the ministry said. “BYU sincerely apologizes to that fan for any difficulties the ban has caused.”
Allegations of racist slurs quickly sparked a debate
About 5,500 people attended the BYU vs Duke climactic match on August 26, according to attendance statistics cited by BYU. BYU TV.
The incident attracted national attention, when Rachel Richardson, a sophomore Duke speak that she and other black athletes “were targeted and racist throughout the entire game.”
After BYU shared its conclusions, Duke University’s associate athletic director Nina King offered a statement affirms her support for Richardson and her teammates and commends them for the way they represent their school.
“We definitely stand with them and support them, especially when their character is questioned,” King said. “Duke Athletics believes in respect, equality and inclusion, and we do not tolerate hate and bias.”
Outside the circle of people with direct knowledge of the incident, discuss the allegations quickly politicized. Richardson’s supporters say she sparked a deeper insight into racism in college athletics, while critics accused her of fabricating the episode.
In BYU Athletics’ announcement of its findings, it said, “Our fight is against racism, not against any individual or organization.” It reiterated a call for anyone present at the event to come first if they have evidence that racist remarks were made.
