Duke Volleyball Player Taunted And Called Racial Slurs During Game Against BYU

A fan was banned from Brigham Young University after screaming a racial slur at a Black player from Duke’s volleyball team as a match took place on Friday evening.

The fan was seated in the BYU student section but wasn’t a student. That person can no longer attend any athletic events on campus.

“We will not tolerate behavior of this kind. Specifically, the use of a racial slur at any of our athletic events is absolutely unacceptable. BYU Athletics holds a zero-tolerance approach to this behavior. We wholeheartedly apologize to Duke University and especially its student-athlete competing last night for what they experienced. We want BYU athletic events to provide a safe environment for all, and there is no place for behaviors like this in our venues,” a statement from the school read.

Rachel Richardson is the player who is the only Black starter on the team. Her godmother, Lisa Pamplin, said that Richardson was called a racial slur “every time she served.”

Pamplin is a current candidate for the position of Tarrant County’s Circuit Court Judge Number 5.

“For far too long, individuals have been subjected to racist slurs, taunts, and threats like the unfortunate incident that happened to my goddaughter… It is unfortunate that this incident has only received attention after I tweeted about it,” Pamplin said.

Pamplin had tweeted that her goddaughter “was threatened by a white male that told her to watch her back going to the team bus. A police officer had to be put by their bench.”

19-year-old Richardson is a sophomore and is from Ellicott City, Maryland.

BYU defeated Duke 3-1 in the match on Friday night.