PROVO, Utah (AP) — BYU banned a fan from shouting racial slurs at a black Duke volleyball player during a Friday night game, the university said in a statement Saturday. .
The fan, who was sitting in the BYU student area, but was not a student, has been banned from all sports venues on campus, the statement said.
“We will not tolerate this type of behavior. Specifically, the use of racial slurs at any of our sporting events is absolutely unacceptable and BYU Athletics has zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” the statement said“We sincerely apologize to Duke University, especially the student-athletes who competed last night for what they experienced. We want Brigham Young University athletic events to provide a safe environment for all, and our venues do not allow this Behavior.”
Duke said Saturday’s game against Ryder was moved from Brigham Young University’s Smith Arena to another venue in Provo.
“First and foremost, our priority is the well-being of Duke student-athletes,” Duke athletic director Nina King said in a statement“They should always have the opportunity to compete in an inclusive, anti-racist environment that promotes equality and fair play. Due to the extremely unfortunate circumstances surrounding Friday night’s game at BYU, we had to move today’s game against Rider. Move to a different location in order to provide the safest game atmosphere for both teams.”
The Fort Worth, Texas, circuit court judge candidate Lesa Pamplin identified the abused player as her goddaughter.
“My goddaughter was the only black starter on the Dukes volleyball team,” Pamplin tweeted from her campaign accountadding that the player “has been called a racial slur at every service. She was threatened by a white male to watch her back on the convoy’s bus. A police officer had to be seated on their bench. superior.”
An email sent to Pamplin’s campaign seeking comment on Saturday was not immediately returned.
Duke and BYU join Rider and WSU in a four-team round-robin invitational. BYU defeated Duke 3-1 in Friday’s game.
