WELLESLEY, Mass. — School officials are investigating after fans at Wellesley High School allegedly yelled racial slurs at an opposing team prior to Friday night’s boys basketball game.
Weymouth Public Schools Superintendent Robert Wargo said in a statement he was made aware of an incident involving fans from Wellesley yelling racial slurs at some of the Weymouth High School boys basketball players before their game.
In a letter sent home to the Wellesley High School community, Principal Jamie Chisum said the slurs were reported during warmups and were directed toward some black players on the Weymouth team from the student section. The players heard what was said but did not see who said them, according to school officials.
The referee of the game asked Athletic Director John Brown to move some Wellesley fans off the court and further up into the stands to ensure there was no physical contact between them and Weymouth players (which had already been reported), Principal Chisum said. In fact, the athletic department had to intervene on numerous occasions over the course of the game, according to Wellesley officials.
The game continued and it resulted in a 55-50 road loss for Weymouth.
Principal Chisum said a potentially dangerous situation arose at the end of the game when multiple Wellesley fans rushed the court in celebration while repeatedly taunting Weymouth players. The Wildcats hadn’t even had a chance to go through the handshake line.
Brown ended up apologizing to the Weymouth players and coaches at the end of the game for the behavior of the home fans. They Weymouth coaching staff also complimented the boys on Wellesley’s basketball team for playing a clean, fair game and not engaging in inappropriate behavior, according to officials.
“This type of behavior is never okay, and we recognize the incident could have been far worse had our students engaged, or had it not been handled with such a swift and appropriate response,” Superintendent Wargo wrote. “We would like to thank the Wellesley Athletic Department, Principal Chisum and Superintendent Luccier for their ongoing efforts to ensure accountability, and we join them united in reinforcing there is absolutely no place for hate in our school communities.”
Officials also thanked the athletes who notified Weymouth coaches, who then reported the incident to administrators.
“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,” Wellesley Public Schools Superintendent David Lussier said in a statement. “No one deserves to be treated this way, particularly student athletes who travel to our district to compete.”
Wellesley school officials say they’re conducting a thorough investigation and will hold any student fans involved in any of the alleged acts accountable.
“Because we need to do everything we can to make sure any guests who come to Wellesley High School are treated with respect and dignity we will only allow student fans to come to the game if they are seated with an adult,” Principal Chisum said. “We are all upset and disappointed that anyone from our school could have engaged in the behavior of abusing others with racist language.”
Wellesley officials said they will be taking steps at any future basketball games this year and in the future to ensure the crowd remains an appropriate distance from the court and language is monitored.
“We may have lost the game, but in the moments that mattered most our athletes rose to the top, and we’re incredibly proud,” Superintendent Wargo said.
Boston 25 News has reached out to Wellesley school officials for comment.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW