The NCAA tournament wasn’t all fun and games for the Utah Utes women’s basketball team … because several players were allegedly called profanities and other “racial hate crimes” while at the team hotel.
Utes head coach Lynne Roberts revealed the cruel acts following their second-round loss to 4th-ranked Gonzaga on Monday, claiming they had to relocate the entire team due to the incredibly offensive treatment.
“We have had multiple instances of some type of racial hate crime against our program,” Roberts said during the postgame press conference. “Incredibly upsetting for all of us.”
![Utah Utes Players Called N-Word at Team Hotel During Women's NCAA Tournament, Coach Says 2 f8f6865ad74544129e88b928e0eb3f43 md](https://thegurumedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/f8f6865ad74544129e88b928e0eb3f43_md.jpg)
“You know, you think in our world, in athletics and in college environments, it’s shocking…like there’s so much diversity on a college campus and you’re just not exposed to it very often.”
Charmelle GreenUtes Assistant Athletic Director also said KSL that strangers allegedly shouted the N-word at them as the players, band and cheerleading squad walked to a restaurant for dinner, as well as when they left.
“We were all in shock and looked at each other like, did we just hear that? Everyone was in shock. Our cheerleaders, our students who were in that area and clearly heard it were frozen,” Green said.
“We kept walking, just shaking our heads, like I couldn’t believe it.”
Fortunately, the NCAA and Gonzaga were able to move the team to a hotel in Spokane … and the Bulls’ athletic department released a statement saying they were “frustrated and deeply saddened” by the intolerable events.
The University of Utah filed a police report.