Volleyball ball and white line on wooden court.Photo: sportoakimirka (Shutterstock)
A women’s volleyball team from the Historically Black College of Talladega College withdrew from their conference tournament based in Alabama because one of the players was subjected to an instance of racial abuse, according to the Associated Press.
Leslie Uggams on ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ and Working with Jeffrey Wright
Leslie Uggams on ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ and Working with Jeffrey Wright
The team was attending the Southern States Athletic Conference’s volleyball awards banquet. One of the Talladega players used a feature on her phone to transfer data. The player then received what was described as a “racially motivated picture.” There were no details on what the picture showed other than officials saying it was “vile and vicious.”
“It’s just a very unfortunate thing. We wish it hadn’t happened,” Commissioner Mike Hall said in an interview Wednesday.
After this transpired, the Talladega College team left the banquet and quit the conference tournament. The SSAC released a statement condemning the behavior and reiterating how vital the Talladega school is to the conference.
From ABC 3340:
“The SSAC will not condone this type of behavior. We are very supportive of all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff from our 11 institutions. We sincerely regret that this occurrence happened,” the league statement said.
“Talladega College and the women who represent the volleyball program are a valuable and important asset to our conference makeup. Though we are saddened by the events of last evening and the vile and vicious act of a few, we are more concerned with supporting the students who were affected by this incident. As we continue to try and investigate the source of this incident, our love and support for the women’s volleyball program at Talladega is most important and we will continue to create a safe space for all students associated with the SSAC.”
The school also released a statement commending the players for their bravery in this decision.
“We commend the women’s volleyball team. We celebrate them for their bravery. We honor them for their commitment to the founding principles of Talladega College as well as the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the school said.
