South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley defended her decision to cancel its scheduled season-opener against BYU following an alleged incident at a Cougars volleyball game.
Rachel Richardson, the only Black player on Duke’s volleyball team, accused a BYU fan of yelling racial slurs at her. BYU rescinded its initial ban on the fan after its investigation found no evidence of racial heckling.
Per Amanda Poole of WACH FOX, Staley stood by her choice to cancel a scheduled home-and-home series with BYU because Richardson hasn’t recanted her side of the story.
“Did the young lady come out and say that she apologized for hearing something wrong? Did she come out and say that?” Staley asked. “OK, that’s her story. That’s what she’s sticking with. Until she comes out and says that, I’ll be the first to apologize. I’ll be the first to say ‘I’m wrong,’ but that has yet to come out. So that’s what I’m sticking with.”
South Carolina was scheduled to begin the season against BYU on Nov. 7 in Columbia and play again in Utah during the 2023-24 campaign. The Gamecocks will instead kick off their season against East Tennessee State.
BYU claimed they reviewed all video and audio footage and spoke with over 50 people who attended the volleyball match with Duke on Aug. 26.