PROVO, Utah — As the racist actions of a BYU fan continue to spark outrage nationwide, the Brigham Young University athletics department says it is working to prevent this from happening again.
BYU athletics director Tom Holmoe met with FOX 13 News to clarify the timeline of the university’s response to react and locate the fan who called a Duke volleyball player the N-word during the game between Duke and BYU Friday night.
“We can’t let it go. Somebody, somehow has to stop it or else it’s going to continue for a long time,” said Holmoe.
The Duke women’s volleyball player and her family have both stated that BYU officials were made aware of the slurs and failed to stop it. Holmoe said his team was trying but couldn’t find the person.
“She was crying, she was upset. And Rachel is not the person to cry and call over a loss,” said Marvin Richardson, the father of Rachel Richardson, who had racial slurs yelled at her.
Holmoe said once his staff were made aware of the slurs, the university placed multiple people near and in the fan section before the third match. Holmoe said they couldn’t find the fan until 15 minutes after the game.
“They were notified from a Duke player who came over to a coach, who came over to our side, and the officials told us, told our coach,” he said.
“The story really should be that there were 5,500 people at a women’s volleyball game at Smith Fieldhouse, the first time in its history, the largest crowd. That should be the story,” said Richardson.
Holmoe addressed the stands about the issue at Saturday’s women’s volleyball game. At a women’s soccer game on Monday, the university’s fan code-of-conduct was read to the crowd.
“We also went to their coach and their staff and said, ‘Listen, if any of your players is to hear anything at all, we will stop the game, bring the coaches and captains together, and we’re going to clarify what happened right then and there,” he said.
Holmoe said the athletics department is re-examining its policies and procedures. They also say they intend to prioritize anti-racism education not only for students but all of Cougar Nation.
“People and the fans have to know, whether they’re BYU students or they come to our games, we have to make sure they understand the consequences of racial issues,” he said.
In the BYU Fan Code-of-Conduct, it states, “Guests who choose not to adhere to this code of conduct are subject to penalty including, but not limited to, ejection without refund, revocation of season tickets, and prevention from attending future events."
Under expectations for fan behavior, it is written that fans should “never use language or make gestures that are threatening, abusive, or discriminatory.”
The code-of-conduct says event staff are trained to intervene to ensure the expectations are met. If any member of the crowd witnesses inappropriate behavior, they can text 69050 to let ushers and security know.
