PROVO, Utah — The Duke University volleyball player who had racial slurs shouted at her during a game against BYU is speaking out, saying she and her team felt “unsafe” and “targeted” Friday evening in Provo.
BYU Athletics released a statement Saturday, saying the fan is banned from all BYU athletic venues and that the individual is not a student despite sitting in the student section.
Former BYU students told FOX 13 News that an apology by the university is not enough.
“It’s just upsetting to know that BYU constantly is given opportunities to do better,” said Rachel Weaver.
Weaver said Friday night’s incident is just a glimpse of a bigger problem.
“It just goes to show the environment at BYU that someone felt comfortable enough to say that in public, in a public space with 5,000 other people there,” said Nate Byrde. “They felt they were justified in saying the N-word to someone on the floor.”
Weaver and Byrde are part of the Black Menaces, an organization of current and former BYU students intending to highlight their experiences with the university’s culture and diversity.
“I know a lot of students personally who didn’t make it through BYU,” said Byrde. “They either came for a little while and left or just didn’t want to be there anymore. We always have to find different ways to make it through or to protect ourselves.”
The volleyball player, Rachel Richardson, posted about the game on Instagram, writing: “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.”
She went on to say that once BYU’s athletic director, Tom Holmoe, was notified, he was “quick to act in a very respectful and genuine manner.”
Holmoe addressed the incident at Saturday night’s women’s volleyball game.
“As children of God it is our mission to love everybody and treat everybody with respect and that didn’t happen,” he said. “We fell very short.”
The Black Menaces hope the national pressure put on the university prompts change on-campus. They say reprimanding one fan is not enough.
“[Richardson] came to play volleyball and she came to win a game,” said Weaver. “This impacted the way that she performed and what she came to do and that happens to Black people across America all the time.”
Heather Olmstead, the head coach for BYU’s women’s volleyball team,tweeted a statement on Sunday.
She apologized and wrote: “Racism in any form has no place at BYU.”
Olmstead said she’s been talking with Richardson as well as the Duke women’s volleyball coach and team captain.
“They have helped me understand areas where we can do better," she added.
To read the full statement released by BYU Athletics, click here.
A number of local public figures released statements regarding the incident.
"I’m disgusted that this behavior is happening and deeply saddened if others didn’t step up to stop it," Governor Spencer Cox wrote in a tweet. "As a society we have to do more to create an atmosphere where racist a**holes like this never feel comfortable attacking others."
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also chimed in on Twitter, saying that there is "no place in this state or anywhere for racism."
"Sentiments of sadness and frustration will not extinguish the pain inflicted," she wrote. "We must continue the fight to end all expressions of racism wherever they occur."
Senate candidate Evan McMullin, who himself went to BYU, also took to Twitter to condemn the fan's conduct.
"As a BYU alum, season ticket holder and human, I’m disgusted by the fan who yelled racist slurs at Duke volleyball player [Rachel Richardson], and that this behavior wasn’t stopped immediately," his tweet read. "Racism doesn’t reflect our values and must have no place among us."
Reactions have been pouring in from outside of Utah as well, with LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers replying to Richardson's godmother, Lesa Pamplin, on Twitter.
"You tell your Goddaughter to stand tall, be proud and continue to be BLACK!!!" his tweet reads. "We are a brotherhood and sisterhood! We have her back. This is not sports."
