Referee called Black basketball player a racial slur during game, TN high school says
A white referee at a high school basketball game in Tennessee is accused of using a racial slur to a 14-year-old player who is Black.
Now the state organization overseeing high school athletics is investigating.
The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 17, during a girls’ basketball game between Smyrna High School and STEM Preparatory Academy. The game was played in Smyrna, just outside of Nashville. STEM Prep is in Nashville.
“As clearly seen on the game tape, and as shared by witness accounts, the white male referee approached the 14-year-old black female player in an aggressive manner and called her the N-word,” Dr. Kristin L. McGraner, chief executive officer of STEM Prep, said in an open letter shared on the school’s Facebook page.
“This incredibly offensive, racist event underscores the institutional racism that exists within athletics, as well as within the TSSAA organization,” she continued.
McGraner’s letter was addressed to the head of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, or TSSAA, a nonprofit group that administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee. Executive Director Bernard Childress told McClatchy News in a statement on Friday, Nov. 19, they are looking into the incident.
“We are definitely investigating this situation and will make a decision as soon as all of the facts are substantiated,” Childress said in an email. “We have several more interviews to conduct.”
Judy Johnson said in a Facebook post after the game that it was her granddaughter the referee called a racial slur. (Warning: link contains offensive language)
“I am so angry, and disappointed at the same time I am in a ball of emotions. The insults and the prejudice was real tonight!! In live and living color,” she said in the post, which was accompanied by a Facebook Live video rehashing the night’s events.
In the video, Johnson points to the fans pouring out of the school and cars exiting the parking lot.
“Look at that, it was too much,” she’s heard saying. “Too much. People are leaving.”
The game was stopped after the incident and the boys’ game was not played, The Murfreesboro Post reported.
McGraner said TSSAA issued three reprimand letters against two STEM Prep players and a parent the following morning, but nothing had been done about the referee’s alleged conduct.
She asked the executive director to issue a permanent suspension against the referee.
“Furthermore, as this is not the first incident of systemic racism within TSSAA, we call for a review of official screening and hiring practices, the code of conduct governing behavior of all employees and contracted officials, and sustained Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training led by a qualified external party,” McGraner said.
Copies of the reprimand letters sent to STEM Prep were shared on Facebook by Tennessee Holler, a self-described progressive news site. In the letters, the TSSAA instructs STEM Prep to talk to its players about unsportsmanlike conduct and informs the school the two players who were ejected from the game will not be allowed to play in the “next two contests.”
The letter does not say why the two players were ejected from the game.
A third letter fined the school $250 for a fan’s conduct and an additional $500 for the coach electing to forfeit the game.
“The TSSAA and its member schools believe strongly that the purpose of athletics at the secondary level is to be a part of the total education program,” the letter states. “It is vital that the administrators stress to coaches, players, officials and fans the necessity of good sportsmanship. People in each of these groups must understand the role they play and how important it is to be a positive role model for others.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Referee called Black basketball player a racial slur during game, TN high school says."
