WRENTHAM, Mass. (WHDH) – The King Philip Regional School District disciplined several members of the high school football team for what it called “highly inappropriate conduct” after student-athletes were accused of using racial slurs against another teammate and later harassing that student’s mother.
In a letter to families and posted on the high school’s website, the district’s superintendent, Dr. Elizabeth Zielinski, said that several players on the football team “used inappropriate and racist slurs toward another teammate.” In addition, Zielinski said students found the victim’s mother’s phone number and shared it with other students who called repeatedly and made “inappropriate sexual comments” to her.
Police said they interviewed the students, who said they did not mean any harm or hate and did not target anyone individually. In a statement, police said players used the N-word in the context of singing along with music and greeting each other.
Students involved were disciplined in the form of school suspensions and game suspensions.
“I want to emphasize this type of behavior is completely unacceptable,” Dr. Zielinski said in the letter, “and will not be tolerated in our school community.”
There is no immediate word on whether those students will face charges related to the incident.
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