BYU Eliminates Student Fan Section from Volleyball Matches After Racist Slur Allegation

Brigham Young University (BYU) Athletics has eliminated the student fan section from volleyball matches in the wake of Duke University student Rachel Richardson’s claim of being pelted with racial slurs during a recent game.

“BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe, who did not attend the match, met with Richardson at Duke’s hotel on Saturday morning. Richardson positively described the meeting on the ESPN show “Outside the Lines.” She said Holmoe told her he would remove the ROC section,” reported Deseret News.

Following the meeting between Richardson and Holmoe, the student section was removed from the BYU match against Washington State. However, this next weekend, when BYU hosts the Nike Invitational with No. 10 Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Utah State, the section will be used for teams not playing at the time.

Controversy erupted this past Sunday when Richardson, who is black, claimed to have had racial slurs directed at her “throughout the entirety of the match.”

“[I] was targeted and racially heckled throughout the entirety of the match,” she said in a public statement. “The slurs and comments grew into threats… Both officials and BYU coaching staff were made aware of the incident during the game, but failed to take the necessary steps… they also failed to adequately address the situation after the game.”

#morethanavolleyballplayer pic.twitter.com/JJsofA6VgI

— rachel ♡ (@rachrich03) August 28, 2022

Richardson’s story immediately spread like wildfire, with CNN, NPR, and the New York Times covering it. BYU athletics officials also sympathized with Richardson, alleging that an unruly fan was booted from the game.

However, according to the BYU Cougar Chronicle, students who attended the game claim that they never heard a racial slur directed at Richardson, while an unnamed source in the athletics department said that Richardson never pointed anyone out despite the fact police were nearby.

“Ms. Richardson complained of hearing a racial slur during the second set but did not point anyone out. Officials discussed briefly and stationed policemen there… there were no more complaints until after the match,” the unnamed source said.

The Chronicle also noted that a video of the match showed Richardson serving in the student section twice during the game, in which a “police officer can be seen standing by the ROC section monitoring the students.” The outlet further alleged that it could not “find a source in the student section that can corroborate Richardson’s claim of racial slurs being yelled at her.”

The anonymous source in the BYU athletics department also told the outlet that the unruly fan dejected from the game was not seated in the student section and that he was mentally handicapped.

“When a mentally challenged fan approached a Duke player. The Duke team then suddenly recognized the handicapped man’s ‘voice’ as the same one shouting slurs,” the source reportedly said. “They never saw or pointed out a face, just a voice. They banned this man. Not for slurs, but for interfering with visiting guests.”

“BYU Athletics staff went through footage of the entire game and the man Duke identified was never seated in the student section,” the source added. “Her story doesn’t add up, BYU banned an innocent man to appease the mob and make their PR mess go away.”

“While I don’t know if Ms. Richardson genuinely misheard something or intentionally made up this story, it certainly does not constitute the criticism BYU has gotten,” the source concluded. “There is zero evidence of a slur being said. Not a single witness, besides Ms. Richardson, has come forth. Not a single cell phone video or BYUtv’s several camera angles caught a single thing. How unlikely when this person supposedly said a slur during ‘every single serve.’”

Police have also found no evidence to corroborate Richardson’s claims.