Arizona State Players Say They Were Called Racial Slur at Restaurant Near Campus

A trio of Arizona State players say they were called a racial slur at a Whataburger near campus on Tuesday night. 

Sun Devils cornerback Jordan Clark, tight end Nolan Matthews and safety T Lee detailed the incident on Twitter on Wednesday. 

The players say they approached a white woman in her car on Tuesday night and asked whether she could order their food–which they would pay for–via the drive-through since the inside of the restaurant was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the woman declined, the players overheard her complaining to the manager, who ended up paying for her meal, according to the Arizona Republic. She then called them "n------" multiple times before driving away, according to Clark's account of the incident. 

Clark noted the manager didn't apologize and even went so far as to "threaten us, and say he'd call the police."

Whataburger responded to Clark's tweet on Wednesday and asked to collect further information. "We do not tolerate racism and were horrified to hear how these customers were treated by another customer," the burger chain said. 

Arizona State president Michael Crow issued a statement supporting the players on Wednesday. 

"We are aware of the situation our student-athletes reported happening last night at Whataburger where they were subjected to racist behavior and name-calling by a customer," Crow wrote.  "There is no excuse for this. It is a continuation of gross ignorance, racism and hatred that permeates facets of our society."

"We understand that Whataburger has stepped-up and requested more information. We strongly encourage Whataburger to fully investigate this situation and assess what steps it must take to deal with customers who exhibit this kind of behavior. It cannot be tolerated."