South Carolina lawmakers seek answers from Gamecocks after women's basketball series with BYU canceled
The letter comes after a Duke women's volleyball player said BYU fans hurled racial slurs at her, but officials said the claim has lacked evidence so far
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}University of South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner and women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley faced questions from South Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday.
The group of lawmakers, known as the South Carolina Freedom Caucus, sought clarification for the school’s decision to "cancel" a two-game series against the Brigham Young University women’s basketball team following accusations from a Duke women’s volleyball player that racial slurs were hurled her way during a match against the Cougars. BYU officials later said they had not found any evidence of the incident.
The letter, which was co-signed by 14 lawmakers including Rep. Adam Morgan, R-Greenville, and Rep. RJ May, R-Lexington, called on the university to answer a series of questions pertaining to the alleged Duke-BYU incident.
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"The incident at BYU has led me to reevaluate our home-and-home, and I don’t feel that this is the right time for us to engage in this series," said University of South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
"Given the totality of the circumstances, it seems the University of South Carolina rushed to appease the loudest voices of the far-Left by 'canceling' BYU, both literally and figuratively, without respect for the truth. If our citizens are to have faith in our public institutions, then they must not kowtow to counterfeit outrage. Doing so only hurts and weakens those who have been truly harmed by bigotry and discrimination," the letter read.
"It is our opinion the University acted arbitrarily and capriciously without consideration or regard for the facts and circumstances. This begs many questions, chief among them, why did the University of South Carolina cancel the series against BYU when no supporting evidence existed to warrant such action? Will the University of South Carolina reschedule with BYU and issue a public apology if the allegations continue to be shown as false? Is it now the policy of the University to forgo, or more concerning, ignore any fact-finding missions into allegations of wrongdoing? Will the University be canceling all sporting events whenever any fan of any university against which the Gamecocks have an upcoming game is accused of acting inappropriately? Is the University of South Carolina now taking responsibility for all of its fans, regardless of any relationship with the University? What is the policy of the University of South Carolina for canceling games in which allegations of wrongdoing by a future opposing school’s fans are made? And finally, will the University of South Carolina decline any games with Duke University given the verifiable racially insensitive tweets by a member of Duke’s fan base, Mrs. Pamplin?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DUKE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER SAYS OFFICIALS 'FAILED TO ADEQUATELY ADDRESS' RACIAL SLURS FROM BYU FAN
The letter also sought any records related to the match and the incident.
The school did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NCAA logos are featured during the Division I Women's Volleyball Semifinals held at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Dec. 19, 2019. (Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The Gamecocks’ women’s basketball games were set to be played later this year and next year. This year's BYU game was set to be the home-opener for the defending women's basketball national champs.
Staley revealed the decision to nix the team’s BYU games on Friday.
"As a head coach, my job is to do what’s best for my players and staff," Staley said in a statement. "The incident at BYU has led me to reevaluate our home-and-home, and I don’t feel that this is the right time for us to engage in this series."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duke's Rachel Robinson claimed that a fan subjected her and her Black teammates to racial slurs "throughout the entirety of the match" against BYU. The allegation has since come under scrutiny.
BYU officials have said they were still investigating the incident, and BYU police Lt. George Besendorfer said last week an initial investigation of the footage from the crowd did not appear to show the person who was banned shouting anything while Richardson was serving.
BYU flags fly during the first half of a college football game between the Cougars and the Oregon State Beavers at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, on Oct. 13, 2012. (George Frey/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duke has supported Richardson throughout the ordeal and expressed in a statement that the university was "against any form of racism, bigotry or hatred."