University of South Carolina women’s basketball HC Dawn Staley makes a statement with her latest actions. Recently, she canceled her home opener game against BYU (Brigham Young Univ) over an incident that took place against Duke involving one of their players. According to ESPN, one of the Cougars fans yelled several racial slurs at one of Duke’s players.
Initially, the Gamecocks were scheduled to start their season at home against BYU. Then, head to Utah to play at their campus to start off their 2023-24 season. Staley made a statement canceling that game to let the world know these actions will not be tolerated. Nor are they acceptable! The defending National Champions refused to step on the court to even give them the privilege or opportunity to hurt opposing players.
Dawn Staley released a statement addressing the issue and her responsibilities as the head coach:
“As a head coach, I prioritize the well-being of my players and staff,” Staley stated in a release from South Carolina on Friday. “The incident at BYU has prompted me to reassess our home-and-home arrangement, and I believe it is not the appropriate time for us to continue this series.”
Dawn Staley announces that because of the racist incident at a BYU volleyball game in Utah, South Carolina is canceling their home and home games against the Cougars over the next two seasons, including their November 7th season home opener. pic.twitter.com/fjJmQw8ukr
— First and Pen (@firstandpen) September 2, 2022
University of Duke Athletes Share the Same Sentiment as Dawn Staley
Duke sophomore Rachel Richardson on the volleyball team suffered hateful remarks to the hands of BYU fans. As a black member on the team, naturally, these remarks were taken much more personally. Later, BYU apologized for the incident and Richardson said the school’s volleyball players reach out to support her. While this is a nice gesture, it could be damage control. BYU understands this isn’t a great look for their university.
Following the incident, BYU issued a statement acknowledging their mistakes. In a tweet, they expressed their disappointment with South Carolina’s decision to cancel the series and urged patience during the ongoing investigation. They emphasized the need for collective action in combating racism rather than creating divisions.
We are extremely disappointed in South Carolina’s decision to cancel our series and ask for patience with the on-going investigation. We believe the solution is to work together to root out racism and not to separate from one another. #LoveOneAnother
— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) September 3, 2022
