Wellesley fans allegedly yelled racial slurs at high school basketball game

High School Sports Wellesley High School launches investigation after fans allegedly yell racial slurs at opposing team “No one deserves to be treated this way, particularly student athletes who travel to our district to compete.” Wellesley High School. Erin Clark / The Boston Globe
Wellesley High School is launching an investigation after students reportedly yelled racial slurs at an opposing basketball team’s Black players before a game Friday night.
The incident reportedly came during warmups for a boys’ basketball game against Weymouth High School, Wellesley High Principal Jamie Chisum said in an email to students, staff, and families Monday.
Weymouth players heard the slurs and told their coaches, who notified Wellesley High leaders, Chisum explained, calling the incident “deeply disturbing and unacceptable.” Boston.com has reached out to Weymouth High School’s Athletic Department for comment.
“We are all upset and disappointed that anyone from our school could have engaged in the behavior of abusing others with racist language,” Chisum said.
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He also noted that Wellesley’s Athletic Department had to intervene in the crowd multiple times, with a referee asking Wellesley High Athletic Director John Brown to move Wellesley fans off of the court and farther up into the stands to prevent physical contact with the Weymouth players.
“When the game ended, a number of our fans rushed the court in celebration and they reportedly taunted the Weymouth players who had not yet even had a chance to go through the handshake line,” Chisum wrote. “This was a potentially very dangerous situation.”
He said the school is conducting a thorough investigation, and students found to be involved in the incident will be subject to disciplinary action.
In the meantime, students will only be allowed into Tuesday’s boys’ basketball game against Brookline High School if they are seated with an adult, Chisum said, adding that the school will take other steps to keep future crowds in check.
Wellesley is the latest of many Massachusetts school districts to have high school sporting events marred by racist and hateful language. Last year, Westford Academy temporarily banned spectators after Westford students were accused of aiming “racially charged taunting language” at a Wayland student during a basketball game.
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Georgetown High School, Xaverian Brothers High School, and Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School have faced similar incidents in recent years.
In his own email to the Wellesley Public Schools community, Superintendent David Lussier said the district’s administrators have been in touch with their Weymouth counterparts to apologize.
“It’s critical that we speak with a clear voice and name this behavior as both unacceptable and contrary to our core values as a district,” Lussier said. “No one deserves to be treated this way, particularly student athletes who travel to our district to compete.”