BYU Says It Found No Evidence of Racist Heckling at Duke Volleyball Match

The BYU athletic department announced Friday that it had concluded its investigation into the fan who was banned for yelling a racial slur at Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson during a match. According to the investigation, the department found no evidence that the incident occurred.

“From our extensive review, we have not found any evidence to corroborate the allegation that fans engaged in racial heckling or uttered racial slurs at the event,” the school said in a statement. “As we stated earlier, we would not tolerate any conduct that would make a student-athlete feel unsafe. That is the reason for our immediate response and our thorough investigation.”

BYU says it conducted a thorough investigation and spoke to every player and employee at the event.

“We reviewed all available video and audio recordings, including security footage and raw footage from all camera angles taken by BYUtv of the match, with broadcasting audio removed,” BYU continued. “We also reached out to more than 50 individuals who attended the event: Duke athletic department personnel and student-athletes, BYU athletic department personnel and student-athletes, event security and management and fans who were in the arena that evening, including many of the fans in the on-court student section.”

BYU has removed the ban on the fan in question and apologized for the ban in the first place. The school also addressed the idea that this investigation wasn’t thorough enough.

“There will be some who assume we are being selective in our review,” the statement said. “To the contrary, we have tried to be as thorough as possible in our investigation, and we renew our invitation for anyone with evidence contrary to our findings to come forward and share it.”

The incident first came to light when Richardson’s godmother Lesa Pamplin, a candidate for circuit court judge in Fort Worth, tweeted about it from her campaign account.

“My Goddaughter is the only black starter for Dukes volleyball team,” she tweeted, claiming Richardson was called a racial slur “every time she served.”

“She 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,” Pamplin added.

Additionally, after the match, Richardson addressed the incident herself, calling on administrators to make a difference.

“This is not the first time this has happened in college athletics and sadly it likely will not be the last time,” Richardson said. “However, each time it happens we as student athletes, coaches, fans and administrators have a chance to educate those who act in hateful ways.”

In response to the BYU statement, Duke athletic director Nina King said she stands by Richardson and the rest of Duke’s volleyball team.

“The 18 members of the Duke University volleyball team are exceptionally strong women who represent themselves, their families, and Duke University with the utmost integrity,” she said in a statement. “We unequivocally stand with and champion them, especially when their character is called into question. Duke Athletics believes in respect, equality and inclusiveness, and we do not tolerate hate and bias.”

Despite not finding evidence of the incident, BYU says it’s committed to combating racism and discrimination of any kind.

“BYU and BYU Athletics are committed to zero-tolerance of racism, and we strive to provide a positive experience for everyone who attends our athletic events, including student-athletes, coaches and fans, where they are valued and respected.”