Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson's father says his daughter was 'afraid' after being subjected to racial slurs

By Matias Grez, CNN

Updated 2130 GMT (0530 HKT) August 29, 2022

The godmother of Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson said in a tweet that Richardson, who is Black, was called racial slurs during the game at BYU's Smith Fieldhouse in Provo.

(CNN)The father of Duke women's volleyball player Rachel Richardson says his daughter was «afraid» and phoned him in tears after being subjected to racist abuse during a match against Brigham Young University on Friday.

Richardson, who is Black, is a sophomore outside hitter for Duke. She tweeted a statement Sunday explaining she was not the only player who was the target of the racist slurs and heckling at BYU's Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.«Friday night in our match against Brigham Young University my fellow African American teammates and I were targeted and racially heckled throughout the entirety of the match,» Richardson tweeted.«The slurs and comments grew into threats which caused us to feel unsafe.»In a statement on Saturday, Duke University Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King referenced «extremely unfortunate circumstances» at the Friday match at BYU as a reason for changing the location of a Saturday match. In the statement, King said student-athletes should be able to compete in «an inclusive, anti-racist environment.» Read More

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pic.twitter.com/JJsofA6VgI— rachel richards (@rachrich03) <a href=«https://twitter.com/rachrich03/status/1563931324569849856?ref_src=» https:>August 28, 2022 Watching the game on television at the Richardson family home, Marvin Richardson said he had «no clue» what had taken place during the match​, but his daughter