A spectator was banned from Brigham Young sporting venues after a Black player on Duke’s volleyball team was the target of racial slurs and threats that she said “caused us to feel unsafe” during a game Friday at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah. Duke’s match Saturday was relocated because of the incident.
The incident was first reported by Lesa Pamplin, an attorney in Fort Worth, who tweeted that her goddaughter, Duke outside hitter Rachel Richardson, was called a racial slur “every time she served” during a match between Duke and BYU. Pamplin also said Richardson, a sophomore from Ellicott City, Md., who is the only Black starter on the team, was “threatened by a white male that told her to watch her back going to the team bus.”
Richardson’s father, Marvin, told the Salt Lake Tribune that a spectator in the BYU student section repeatedly shouted a slur but was allowed to remain at the event, even after Duke players complained to the referees. He said a police officer was later placed on the Duke bench.
Rachel Richardson described the scene Sunday on Twitter, writing that “my fellow African American teammates and I were targeted and racially heckled throughout the entirety of the match. The slurs and comments grew into threats which caused us to feel unsafe. Both the officials and BYU coaching staff were made aware of the incident during the game, but failed to take the necessary steps to stop the unacceptable behavior and create a safe environment.”
Richardson said the heckling made it impossible to focus on the game and officials “failed to adequately address the situation immediately after the game when it was brought to their attention again.”
But Richardson defended the team’s decision to continue to play.
“I understand some people would have liked more to happen in the moment, such as an immediate protest and refusal to play on,” she wrote. “Although the heckling eventually took a mental toll on me, I refused to allow it to stop me from doing what I love to do and what I came to BYU to do, which was to play volleyball.
“I refused to allow those racist bigots to feel any degree of satisfaction from thinking that their comments had ‘gotten to me.’ So I pushed through and finished the game. Therefore, on behalf of my African American teammates and I, we do not want to receive pity or to be looked at as helpless.
“We do not feel as though we are victims of some tragic unavoidable event. We are proud to be young African American women; we are proud to be Duke student athletes and we are proud to stand up against racism.”
BYU — which is hosting Duke, Rider and Washington State at the doTERRA Classic — said in a statement Saturday that the fan, who was not a student, would be banned from the school’s athletic venues. In a separate Twitter post, it said Saturday’s match between Duke and Rider (which Duke won, 3-1) was relocated to an off-site venue at Duke’s request and that attendance would be limited to team staff and family.
Official statement from BYU Athletics. pic.twitter.com/5bIwXNwr7J
— BYU Cougars (@BYUCougars) August 27, 2022
Marvin Richardson told the Tribune that his daughter met with BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe on Saturday morning and that BYU Coach Heather Olmstead was supposed to be at the meeting.
“The coach, for whatever reason, did not appear,” Marvin Richardson said. “I think that is an issue. As far as I’m concerned, the coach is the first administrator on the scene. You are the coach on the floor. For her not to be there to give an account, for what I believe to be nothing more than out of respect for the player and situation … for whatever reason she did not appear. That in [and] of itself sends a message.
“She impacts that entire program. And it is that influence that allows something like that to go unchecked. That is problematic. I believe in accountability. It should exist starting from the top. If you aren’t getting it from the top then you cannot expect it throughout the rest of the organization.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) condemned the fan’s behavior in a tweet Saturday. “I’m disgusted that this behavior is happening and deeply saddened if others didn’t step up to stop it,” he wrote. “As a society we have to do more to create an atmosphere where racist a**holes like this never feel comfortable attacking others.”
Before Saturday evening’s game, Holmoe addressed the crowd and earlier told USA Today the university is looking into the incident.
“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 said. “And we are going to have to be vigilant and continue to say that this is not to be tolerated in any way.”
Rachel Richardson said she does “not believe this is in any way a reflection of what the BYU athletes stand for,” adding that “Holmoe was quick to act in a very respectful and genuine manner.”
Duke Athletic Director Nina King responded to the incident in a statement Saturday, saying the “extremely unfortunate circumstances at Friday night’s match at BYU” prompted the relocation “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.”
Rachel Richardson praised the Duke administration, coaches and her teammates and wrote that she hopes the incident will be an educational opportunity:
“It is neither my nor Duke Volleyball’s goal to call BYU’s athletics out but rather to call them up. This is not the first time this has happened in college athletics and sadly it likely will not be the last time. However, each time it happens, we as student athletes, coaches, fans and administrators have a chance to educate those who act in hateful ways.
“This is an opportunity to dig deep into closed cultures which tolerate amoral racist acts, such as those exhibited Friday night, and change them for the better. It is not enough to indicate that you are not racist. Instead you must demonstrate that you are anti-racist.”
