The University of Maryland’s club tennis team has been indefinitely suspended after using racist imagery in material distributed to other universities for a tournament over the weekend, school officials confirmed Tuesday.
A graphic shared by the tennis team replaced parts of Maryland’s state flag with the recognizable hoods donned by members of the Ku Klux Klan. A statement from UMD Recreation and Wellness noted that the imagery was “targeting people who are Black or African American.”
“The University of Maryland is horrified and expresses its regret and sincere apology for the harm that this has caused,” the school said in the statement.
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It’s unclear how many members of Maryland’s club tennis team were responsible for the graphic. However, school officials suspended the entire team indefinitely pending an investigation by the Office of Student Conduct. The university’s police department was also notified.
Maryland forfeited its matches in the weekend’s tournament, which continued at College Park.
“UMD club tennis team student leaders met with other tournament team captains to take responsibility, apologize for their actions and acknowledge the harm caused,” the university’s statement read. “They also sent an apology email to each of the invited club team programs.”
An initial apology may not be enough.
The KKK allusion was noted in a Google Doc by Toni Rachel, a member of the club tennis team at Howard — a historically Black university in the District.
“KKK pointed hood masks complete with eye holes appear in the top right and lower left quadrants, replacing the Crossland coat of arms of the official Maryland state flag,” a statement from Howard’s team said. “The imagery is a recognizable symbol of white supremacy, organized hate, and violence.”
Student athletes from Howard and the other participating teams received a general apology, and the offending image was removed from the document.
But Howard’s statement noted that “true accountability has yet to come” and included a list of potential next steps. Howard’s club tennis players noted that they’d like to see a public apology, a formal investigation and sensitivity training for Maryland’s club leaders and advisers.
The statement also noted that proceeds from the tournament could be donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
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