Duke volleyball player heckled during BYU game releases statement

Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson has released a statement on her being heckled with racial slurs during a game against BYU.

The sophomore says that BYU didn’t move fast forward enough to stop the racist harassment she and other Black players were subject to during a Friday game.

Rachel Robinson issues statement

“Friday night in our match against Brigham Young University my fellow African American teammates and I were targeted and racially heckled throughout the entirety of the match,” Richardson tweeted. “The slurs and comments grew into threats which caused us to feel unsafe.”

Richardson’s godmother, Lesa Pamplin, initially tweeted about the incident Saturday, accusing the school of allowing the racist behavior without intervening.

“My Goddaughter is the only black starter for Dukes volleyball team. While playing yesterday, she was called a n***er every time she served,” Pamplin’s tweet read.

The incident led to an apology from BYU, the school banning a fan and Duke changing the locations of the team’s next game. But a little too late said Richardson.

Not fast enough

Richardson said both BYU officials and 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.” Even after the incident was brought to their attention, Richardson said BYU officials “failed to adequately address the situation.”

The volleyball player said the harassment resulted in her and her teammates struggling to get through the game, as opposed to just being able to focus on competing, she tweeted.

“No athlete, regardless of their race should ever be subject to such hostile conditions,” Richardson’s tweet read.

Richardson also addressed comments that she or her teammates should have refused to continue playing.

“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,” her tweet read. “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.”

Despite the disturbing incident, Richardson said she does not believe this was a reflection of all BYU athletes. She complimented their players on a great game and showing “nothing but respect and good sportsmanship on and off the court.”