The University of Maryland club tennis team has been suspended indefinitely after including a racist graphic in a weekend tournament schedule in College Park, the school said in a statement.
According to the UMD Recreation and Wellness statement, the school learned that the team had distributed materials that included “a graphic containing racist images targeting Black or African-American individuals.”
“They have emailed this information to other area college tennis clubs regarding this weekend’s fall tournament in College Park,” the release said.
The UMD statement said the incident may have only involved a few team members, but the school still chose to suspend the entire team until the Office of Student Conduct completes its investigation.
The case was also referred to the University of Maryland Police Department, the school said. Police confirmed they were investigating but declined to provide further information.
UMD’s Office of Student Conduct did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The University of Maryland is horrified and expresses its regret and sincere apologies for the harm this has caused,” the school said in a statement.
The tennis team withdrew its matches from the tournament, which continued for all other participating teams.
Leaders of the UMD club tennis team apologized to other team captains and took responsibility for sending racist graphics, the release said. Each invited team also received an email apology from the UMD tennis team.
UMD was on hand to support the visiting teams and sent an email of apology to the recreation directors of the schools involved, as well as the presidents of the participating teams.
One of those presidents was Toni Rachal, who represents the club tennis team at Howard University, a historically black school.
In a statement posted to its Instagram account, Team Howard said Rachal noticed the graphic in a shared Google Doc emailed to participating teams.
The graphic contained “a recognizable symbol associated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) on the front page” below the UMD club’s tennis logo, the release said.
“Pointed KKK hooded masks with eye holes appear in the upper right and lower left quadrants, replacing the Crossland coat of arms of the official Maryland state flag,” the release describes. “These images are a recognizable symbol of white supremacy, organized hatred and violence. »
Members of Howard’s team said they confronted the Maryland team about the graphic to express their concerns. Despite the team’s suspension and investigation, Howard’s team said, “True accountability has yet to come.” »
Howard’s team is calling on UMD and the school’s tennis club executive board to issue a public apology to Howard University and its staff, conduct a formal investigation into the author of the document, and provide sensitivity training to the school’s team leaders and advisors.
Team Howard is also asking that funds from the weekend’s tournament be donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“There is no place for racism, bullying, or images rooted in racial hatred and violence in college athletics, on our campuses, or anywhere else in our society,” Howard University interim president and president emeritus Wayne AI Frederick said in a statement.
He added that he appreciated UMD President Darryll J. Pines for his immediate concern and said Howard was there to support all the students who participated in the tournament.
The UMD Black Student Union said in a statement posted to its Instagram account that the vice president of student affairs contacted the group directly after the incident.
The group thanked the university for its quick response, but added: “We know that administrative actions alone cannot undo the emotional impact inflicted on Black students, particularly when added to a broader societal climate where racial tensions are already a constant burden.” »
He called on the university to “commit to long-term systemic accountability and active redress of harm, ensuring that the impact on Black students is addressed directly, transparently and with immediate urgency.”
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