Brigham Young University said it lifted the ban from attending the school’s sporting events on a man who had been accused of saying a racial slur to a Black volleyball player from Duke, claiming it conducted a thorough investigation and found no evidence the slur was even said, the Associated Press reports.

During the August 28th women’s volleyball game against Duke, spectators noted that a university police officer was stationed between the student’s section and the visiting team’s bench.  Duke’s Rachel Richardson, a senior outside hitter from Ellicott City, Maryland reported someone would say the slur every time she went back to the service line.  Another time, the person told the player to “watch [her] back on the way to the team bus.”

Even though it was a packed arena holding 5,500 fans, officials were able to identify a single fan through, they said at the time, an identification from the Duke team.  The individual was not a student at the university, although he was sitting in the student section at the time.

However, BYU said, they reviewed recordings of the game and spoke to more than 50 witnesses, but they could find no evidence any slur or threat was said, despite the claim by the Duke player.  The individual was never identified publicly.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the South Carolina women’s basketball team canceled a home-at-home two-game series, stating they did not want their players put into the position Richardson was forced into.

I’ll be curious to see if there’s a large donation to the BUY BYU Athletic Boosters upcoming as recompense for someone’s (or someone’s son’s) racism.