BYU Apologizes to Duke, Bans Fan After Racist Incident

Paul Steinbach Headshot
613f630316381700041030e8

Brigham Young University has banned a spectator from attending any of its athletic venues after an incident in which a racial slur was directed toward a Duke player during a volleyball match on its campus Friday night.

In a statement issued Saturday, university officials said the banned spectator is not a BYU student but was sitting in the student section during the Cougars’ 3-1 win over Duke in Provo, Utah. A crowd of 5,507, a record for a volleyball match at BYU’s Smith Fieldhouse, attended the match.

“To say we are extremely disheartened in the actions of a small number of fans in last night’s volleyball match in Smith Fieldhouse between BYU and Duke is not strong enough language,” the statement said, as reported by The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C. “We will not tolerate behavior of this kind. Specifically, the use of a racial slur at any of our athletic events is absolutely unacceptable and BYU athletics holds a zero-tolerance approach to this behavior.”

Log in to view the full article
Buyer's Guide
Information on more than 3,000 companies, sorted by category. Listings are updated daily.
Learn More
Buyer's Guide
AB Show 2023 in Baltimore
AB Show is a solution-focused event for athletics, fitness, recreation and military professionals.
Nov 1-4, 2023
Learn More
AB Show 2023