Howard's Lacrosse Team Greeted With Racial Slurs

An investigation is underway after Howard University's women’s lacrosse team said they were subjected to racial slurs and other derogatory remarks ahead of their season debut against Presbyterian College. Howard coach Karen Healy-Silcott says the team, made up of students of color, had entered Presbyterian's Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton, SC, before 3pm Friday when a group of white male tailgaters shouted obscenities. "We were greeted with, 'F--- Howard! You’re not welcome here!'" the coach tells NBC News. "They shouted, 'If it ain't white, it ain't right!'" she adds. "We were looking at each other, wondering if we were actually hearing this."

The team from Howard—one of only two historically Black colleges or universities to field an NCAA Division I women's lacrosse team—headed to the locker room in shock but went on to play after comforting each other and discussing the Indigenous origins of lacrosse, says Healy-Silcott, who was in the head coach role for the first time. It was an "incredibly difficult experience" and "a really terrible day," she adds. "It's not something they should have to face and not something they should ever have heard." Presbyterian College, which went on to win the game 16-6, has since hired independent counsel to investigate what occurred.

School officials issued an apology Sunday, noting any student found responsible would face consequences. In a Monday statement, President Matthew vandenBerg called the incident "an abomination," adding the "racist, misogynistic, and hateful behaviors exhibited by individuals on the day in question ... have no place anywhere in civilized society, let alone at PC." "We appreciate Presbyterian College's initial response, and demand a thorough investigation be launched," said Howard Athletic Director Kery Davis, per the Washington Post. USA Lacrosse President and CEO Marc Riccio also spoke out, offering the organization's full support to Howard. (More Howard University stories.)