Duke player Rachel Richardson claimed to have heard a racial slur directed her way on multiple occasions during the match. ESPN reported that Richardson’s godmother heard the slur every time Richardson served during the match.
BYU, ranked tenth in the country, won the match three games to one.
Duke features four Black players on their roster, in addition to two Asian, one Latino and one from Cypress. Of the four black players, three are freshmen, while Richardson is a sophomore. Richardson was the only one of the four to see game action during the match, accounting for five of Duke’s 56 points.
BYU does not have any black players on their women’s volleyball roster, and has only a Latino and a Polynesian/Hawaiian as the only minorities.
The university launched an internal investigation into the incident, finding no evidence of wrongdoing. Originally the school banned the fan from all future athletic events, but lifted the ban once the investigation had completed. The investigation has allegedly obtained audio and video recordings from more than 50 attendees, including security camera footage. The school states they were able to remove the broadcast audio from BYU’s exclusive television coverage, and found no evidence that any slurs were used.
BYU communicated their findings to Duke before releasing a statement on Friday morning. Cougar Athletic Director Tom Holmoe personally met with Richardson as well the day following the incident, as Duke did not fly back to Durham, North Carolina until the following morning.
Staley stated it “is the right time for us to engage in this series,” in a statement released on September 2. BYU could have benefited greatly from the money generated by increased ticket sales when the Gamecocks would have come to Provo. Even if South Carolina would have won by 30 points, interest is always generated when a high-ranked team comes to town. I remember personally while attending Cleveland State University that #1 North Carolina came to Cleveland in November of 2004. Cleveland State took the Tar Heels to double overtime, before eventually falling. It was the largest home attendance for a Cleveland State men’s basketball game during the entire Mike Garland coaching era.
You might immediately suspect BYU tried to rush the investigation, as they pride themselves on being an upstanding Christian-based university. This also means the vast majority of their enrollment are white students. We all know that this demographic could never resort to such actions towards a minority. However, if the evidence were released publicly and the investigation was found to be thorough and just, then you would have to commend the university for their resolve in such a short amount of time.
None of the parties involved would have any reason to lie. Duke was certainly not going to upset the Cougars on their home floor, while BYU had only a reputation to uphold if the evidence is honest. With more than 5,000 people in attendance, it was also much more likely that much of the dialogue heard by Richardson or any officials or family members would not come through clearly enough.
BYU had requested that South Carolina complete their investigation before deciding on whether to pull out of the series.
There is an entire possibility that a slur could have been used, but originated from somewhere other than the student section of the arena. Anyone who has ever lived in an apartment can tell you that the noise you hear above you may not necessarily be from the tenant in the suite above yours. BYU may not have found evidence given the limited net they cast, but this certainly does not absolve all attendees.
-JC24