The police investigation is Utah women’s basketball team Law enforcement officials announced Thursday that they have found evidence that “corroborates” the story of a player who was the victim of a “racial hate crime” while in Idaho for the NCAA women’s tournament last month.
The Coeur d’Alene Police Department released an update confirming that detectives have collected approximately 35 hours of video evidence from area businesses, noting that not all footage includes audio.
Players and staff on the Utah State bench react during the final seconds of a college basketball second-round game against Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament on March 25, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (AP Photo/Kwak Yong)
However, in one piece of evidence, police said “racial slurs could be clearly heard.”
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“Some surveillance footage and audio corroborate the reports of members of the basketball program, and detectives are currently working to find additional evidence,” police said in a news release.
“We have identified audio recordings in which the use of racial slurs is clearly audible. We will identify the context and conduct surrounding that use and determine whether it violates the law. “We are still working on the investigation. Evidence suggests that the use of racial slurs occurred on multiple occasions.”
After Utah lost to Gonzaga. 2nd round of the tournament On March 25, Utes coach Lynn Roberts said the team experienced a series of hate crimes after arriving at a hotel in Coeur d’Alene.
Utah State head coach Lynn Roberts speaks during a press conference after the NCAA Tournament game against Gonzaga in Spokane on March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Kwak Yong)
Utah women’s basketball team subject to ‘racial hate crime’ at tournament hotel, coach says
“There have been several instances of some type of racial hate crime against our program, (which) has been incredibly upsetting to all of us,” Roberts told reporters. “In our world, in sports and in college, this is shocking. There’s a lot of diversity on college campuses, but we don’t really get to see that diversity.”
The next day, the university released a statement detailing two “disturbing encounters.” In one incident, a player was walking to dinner when a car drove by and “its occupants shouted racial slurs.” The second incident involved another vehicle and its occupants “yelled racist language and threats” at the team as they returned to the hotel.
Utah guard Lani White, coach Lynn Roberts (right) and team members celebrate during a game against South Dakota State University in the NCAA Tournament on March 23, 2024 in Spokane. (AP Photo/Kwak Yong)
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Police are continuing to investigate this matter. Law enforcement is asking for the public’s help in identifying a silver vehicle that was captured on nearby surveillance cameras at the time of the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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