By Mark Gray
12:55pm PDT, May 8, 2024
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The University of Utah women's basketball team made headlines in late March after they were subjected to racist attacks before an NCAA Tournament game, but word came on May 8 that no hate crime charges will be filed.
The trouble started two months ago when the Utes, who were set to play Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, were given hotel rooms in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, which is about 30 minutes away.
According to reports, the basketball team and support staff gathered at a restaurant near their hotel a few days prior to the game. KSL reported that while the women were walking to the restaurant, a white truck came near them and revved its engine — and its occupants then yelled the N-word at the team before speeding off. The women were later confronted by two aggressive truck drivers on their walk back to their hotel following dinner. Again, the drivers hurled racial slurs at them.
On April 4, police said they obtained a copy of audio recording in which the slurs were clearly audible and the culprits were located. One month later, Deputy attorney for the city of Coeur d'Alene said the slurs were "detestable" and "incredibly offensive" but that there wasn't evidence suggesting the culprits intended to inflict harm on the players.
Idaho's hate crime law makes racial harassment a crime only if it is done with the intent to either threaten or cause physical harm to a person or to their property, ESPN reported.
Coeur d'Alene has long been associated with extremist groups: The Aryan Nation — an antisemitic, neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate group — was headquartered in the area for decades.
After working with the NCAA and Gonzaga, the team was escorted to a different hotel in Spokane.
Keep reading to see what state, school and athletic representatives had to say about what happened…
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"Incredibly upsetting for all of us. You think in our world, in athletics and the university settings, it's shocking. There's so much diversity on a college campus and so you're just not exposed to that very often. And so when you are, it's like, you have people say, 'Man, I can't believe that happened.' But racism is real and it happens, and it's awful. So for our players, whether they are white, black, green, whatever, no one knew how to handle it and it was really upsetting. And for our players and staff to not feel safe in an NCAA Tournament environment, that's messed up." —Utah Women's Basketball Head Coach Lynne Roberts
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"When we're on the road, we don't want to go through anything that was described. We should not have been there. I do appreciate the NCAA and Gonzaga moving us from that situation, but we should never have been there in the first place. So a lot of folks need to get home and heal from the whole matter. But for [Utah Deputy Athletics Director] Charmelle Green and what she's done in terms of being the director of this group, being the victim of this, along with so many others, is something that is going to take a long time for us all to process. It's not the experience that our student-athletes and our students overall should have experienced." —University of Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan via KSL.com
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"For those kids, I want them to know that we are behind them. We support them. They shouldn't have had to go through that. You already have the pressure of trying to win an NCAA game, and now you have this fear of, 'Oh my God, what's going to happen? Is something going to happen to me?' These things should never happen to 18 [or] 19 year olds. If we can dig a little deeper, we're all Americans here." —two-time Olympic gold medalist Angel McCoughtry via CNN
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"I wish it was something that will never happen again. Hopefully it doesn't ever. Student-athletes who are in this place right now are supposed to be preparing for these great games and enjoying this time. It's a horrible situation." –Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier
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"Thank you to the Coeur d'Alene community for stepping up to reinforce that the city is a welcoming, safe place.
Idaho leaders and community members at all levels have been consistent and clear about our values — we fully reject racism in all its forms. There is no place for racism, hate or bigotry in the great State of Idaho. We condemn bullies who seek to harass and silence others. I will continue the tradition of past Idaho governors in supporting our local leaders in their efforts to eradicate hate and bigotry from our communities.
"Whenever disgusting incidents like this have occurred in our state, I have seen Idahoans come through every single time to stand up for our shared values — to show respect, love and compassion for others. Idahoans are good people, and we must not allow the hateful, unacceptable actions of a few tarnish our state." —Idaho Governor Brad Little
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"I'm grateful to Governor Little for his response to these cowardly acts." —Utah Governor Spencer Cox
In a followup statement, he added, "I spoke with Gov. Little earlier today and we're both extremely dismayed by this incident. We condemn racism in all its forms and applaud the University of Utah coach for calling out such disturbing attitudes and abhorrent behavior."
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"On behalf of the city of Coeur d'Alene and all of its communities, I strongly condemn the appalling treatment of the female college athletes who were visiting. We express regret and true sorrow that your student-athletes were treated with such disdainful treatment. To the young women who endured racial slurs while visiting, I offer my most sincere apology. We, all of us, stand with you. We embrace you. We celebrate your accomplishments and strongly denounce any malicious treatment towards you." —Coeur d'Alene Mayor Jim Hammond
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"Gonzaga University has been made aware of the racially disparaging comments made to visiting student-athletes and travel party members in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in advance of the NCAA Women's First and Second Round Basketball Tournament games these past several days. Hate speech in any form is repugnant, shameful and must never be tolerated. We worked hard to secure the opportunity to serve as the host institution, and our first priority is and must be the safety and welfare of all student-athletes, coaches, families and supporting staff. To this end, we have worked closely with the NCAA and program participants to support the security and safety of everyone involved. We are frustrated and deeply saddened to know that what should always be an amazing visitor and championship experience was in any way compromised by this situation, for it in no way reflects the values, standards, and beliefs to which we at Gonzaga University hold ourselves accountable." —Gonzaga University
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"NCAA championship events represent the pinnacle of a student-athlete's collegiate career. We are devastated about the Utah team's experience while traveling to compete on what should have been a weekend competing on the brightest stage and creating some of the fondest memories of their lives. We extend our thanks to the leadership at Gonzaga, Utah, and everyone involved for acting quickly to address the situation, and to local law enforcement for its quick response and efforts to keep student-athletes safe" —NCAA
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"Coach Roberts and @UTAHWBB showed immense courage by speaking up about the racism they experienced. I want them to know their city supports them. Across history, women have been driving forces for change. Today is no different and this team is made up of incredible athletes who embody this. Their courage in telling their story advances the work in our nation to eliminate racism." —Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall
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"I am disgusted and angry about the disturbing events in Coeur d'Alene that were directed against athletes, students and visitors to our state. This foul incident caused by a few is inexcusable and does not in any way reflect Idaho's shared values. Idaho does not tolerate racism, hate, or bigotry in any form. I offer my full support to Gov. Brad Little, Coeur d'Alene Mayor Jim Hammond and our local leaders in their continuing efforts to eliminate hate, racism, and bigotry from our communities. We will not stand for discrimination." —Idaho Lt. Governor Scott Bedke
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"For context: This part of Idaho in particular has long been considered a hotbed for neo-Nazi Aryan hate groups. Last year, numerous members of the hate group Patriot Front were convicted for trying to violently disrupt a pride event in Coeur d' Alene. Idaho's last GOP Chairman participated in the Charlottesville riot. And yes, all of this information was available for the NCAA to Google" —Jemele Hill
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"This is completely unacceptable. Hateful, racist rhetoric has no place in our communities, state, or country. I condemn this behavior in the strongest possible terms." —Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson
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"So incredibly sad this happened. Yet just as sad are those who want to deny that racism is an issue, or claim that teaching young people about it is unnecessary or somehow wrong." —former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams
