Dawn Staley has a secret to tell the world. The South Carolina women’s basketball coach seems to know what really happened at the BYU-Duke volleyball game a few weeks ago.
It turned out to be more than a volleyball game. It explodes the latest tribal mushroom cloud and the fallout continues.
The Duke player said the BYU crowd racially mocked her and her black teammates. Staley promptly canceled South Carolina’s home-and-home series against BYU.
“After personal research, I made the decision for the well-being of the team,” she said.
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Now that the BYU investigation has revealed squatting, I would like to know what her investigation uncovered. Someone should be responsible, but who?
Either Duke’s Rachel Richardson committed a hoax, or BYU allowed unruly racists to rain down N-words on visiting players.
I wasn’t sitting in the student section of Provo, Utah that night, so I can’t say. Neither you, nor Staley, nor the media, university officials, and public influencers who reacted to the incident.
No adjective was probably shouted, but Richardson believed so. One thing I do know is that when it comes to race, she’s conditioned to quickly conclude the worst of people.
She’s not the only one.
“We got her back. This is not a sport,” LeBron James tweeted.
I say BYU – you did it!” Stephen A. Smith of ESPN said:
Dozens of other college volleyball teams posted the #StandwithRachelRichardson hashtag on their social media accounts. Some even wore black armbands at matches to show solidarity.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox tweeted how disgusting the incident was. BYU officials immediately banned spectators they thought might be guilty.
They then launched an investigation.
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The FBI rushes the team to Talladega, only to find that Rope is the door pull long before Wallace’s team is assigned to that garage.
We saw it when a Colorado fan supposedly hit Miami Marlins outfielder Louis Brinson with the N-word. This triggered a media onslaught, with one columnist calling for the man to be jailed.
It turned out that the man was shouting “Dinger!” Trying to get the attention of Rocky’s mascot for a photo.
The journalistic maxim used to be, “If your mom says she loves you, check it out.” Now it’s “if your mother is accused of racism, do it.”
It doesn’t matter if a particular claim is true or not. It represents the greater truth that racism exists. And even ask questions that prove you’re racist.
Sure enough, that’s how this is done. The story goes, BYU says he’s 1% black, Mormons have a tainted racial history, how can we trust schools to investigate themselves?
Smithfield House had 5,007 fans. Police are seeking witnesses and mobile phone evidence, but no one has stepped forward.
Were they all sworn to secrecy?
BYU officials interviewed more than 50 people and reviewed all videotapes. they’re empty.
No one who was actually there has corroborated Richardson’s story – not even her teammates.
And that fan who got banned? He turned out to be a mentally handicapped kid who didn’t know what a ruckus was. His lifelong ban was lifted.
Duke issued a boilerplate statement showing how he lamented hatred and bigotry. It does not refer to BYU’s specific findings. Many want to move forward, but this has turned into political football.
Republican lawmakers in South Carolina want Staley to justify canceling the series with BYU. “Affiliated with a denomination,” he said, “no business takes up the cause of the school.”
Red or blue, it doesn’t matter. Truth should matter.
There are more than enough people guilty of racism. When innocent Americans are reflexively denounced, it undermines the fight.
There is also the issue of precedent. Should coaches be allowed to cancel series based on evidence they don’t share?
What if Staley pulled out of the basketball game against Florida for the same reason?
What if a visiting player thinks they heard racial provocation at the O’Connell Center during a volleyball game? Do you want to allow
Staley is sticking to her guns, saying she’s spoken to people involved.
“It wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction,” she said. “I kneel on nothing.”
Fine, but can’t she at least clarify her decision?
Richardson has been labeled a liar. Jussie Smollett 2.0.
Staley is a respected coach with many achievements. Her sophomore year at the Duke will surely be pleased if she can corroborate Richardson’s story.
If she can’t, Staley owes BYU an apology. Hopefully the cougar isn’t holding its breath.
A South Carolina spokesman told me Monday that Staley has no plans to address the matter further.
Given what we know, I think Staley found a lot of knee cramps when it came to racing. And people are more interested in spreading their agenda than seeking the truth.
No wonder she likes to keep things private.
— David Whitley is a sports columnist for The Gainesville Sun. Please contact dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidEWhitley.
This article originally appeared in The Gainesville Sun. South Carolina’s Dawn Staley Should Reveal BYU-Duke Racial Evidence
