Racist abuse was found scrawled on a high school football team’s locker room whiteboard after they lost a game.
Players for Ames High School football team – based in Des Moines, Iowa – were shocked to see the words ‘n*****’ and ‘f***’ written on the board after their defeat to West Des Moines Dowling Catholic last Friday.
It comes after thirteen of the school’s band players linked arms before leaving the pitch during a game on Monday to protest what they claimed was racial injustice in the US.
Players for Ames High School football team – based in Des Moines, Iowa – were shocked to see the words ‘n*****’ and ‘f***’ written on the board after their defeat to West Des Moines Dowling Catholic last Friday
The superintendent of the school, Tim Taylor, told the Des Moines Register: ‘It’s unacceptable, and it’s not going to be tolerated.’
He added that students will be offered counselling.
The resource officer at the school, meanwhile, is attempting to determine whether the writing amounts to a crime.
But local police chief Geoff Huff said it cannot be considered a hate crime because an individual was not targeted.
Speaking to WVTM13, the mother of a student at the school said that she is fed up.
Danette Clayton explained: ‘A racial slur to basically blame the black children on the team saying it was their fault, with the N-word, the team lost.’
It comes after thirteen of the school’s band players linked arms before leaving the pitch during a game on Monday to protest what they claimed was racial injustice in the US
Meanwhile student Kylin Hansen said: ‘I think it is terrible. This shouldn’t happen. I thought Ames High School was supposed to be a safe school.’
But a spokesman for the district said it ‘could happen at any school’.
Eric Smidt added: ‘I don’t think this incident is a reflection of our student body. It certainly isn’t a reflection of our community as a whole. I think it is the acts of a few people.’
The message, he said, was quickly cleaned off the whiteboard.