CNN, ABC, ESPN promoted Duke volleyball player's racial slur story, go quiet on developments debunking claim

'Fox & Friends Weekend' co-host questions if the incident ever took place after noting no video, microphones, or fans in attendance heard the alleged racial slur on 'American Reports.'

A controversy involving a racial slur allegedly being directed at a Black college athlete captured the attention of the national media - at least until her claim faced further scrutiny. 

Duke University volleyball player Rachel Richardson went viral after she claimed that a fan from Brigham Young University (BYU) hurled the n-word at her "throughout the entirety of the match" between the two schools on August 26. Her in-the-moment allegation led to the immediate removal and permanent ban of the suspected BYU fan, who was actually a Utah Valley University student, and BYU issued apologies to both Richardson and Duke University.

Except her claim was never corroborated. In fact, it was discredited. 

BYU Police Lt. George Besendorfer told the Salt Lake Tribune that his department reviewed surveillance camera footage of the alleged racist fan from the game, telling the paper, "When we watched the video, we did not observe that behavior from him." 

DUKE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PLAYER'S RACIAL-SLUR CLAIM COMES UNDER SCRUTINY

Besendorfer added that no one from the student section from the crowd has come forward to back up Richardson's claim.  

CNN offered plenty of on-air coverage to the racial slur claim made by Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson. (CNN)

A BYU police officer present at the game said he did not hear any racial slurs from the crowd, according to police report obtained by Deseret News. The officer suspected the fan in question had special needs and kept shouting about the players hitting the ball into the net. The officer also