Bacon Academy Fans Hurled Racist Slurs At Ledyard Girl Athletes

LEDYARD, CT — The Ledyard High School girl's basketball team lost the Saturday game against Bacon Academy by one point. As the Colonels players left the court, some Bacon Academy adult fans yelled racist slurs at them, according to statements from both school districts.

"Racist remarks, statements of hate, disrespect and belligerent behavior will not be tolerated, and has no place within this community," Ledyard Board of Education chair Anthony Favry wrote.

And Colchester schools Superintendent Jeffrey E. Burt Chairman said adults at the game, described as parents, shouted "racial taunts," placing the blame solely on adults while asking that students not be the subjects of "social media harassment."

Burt wrote that after a district investigation, "We believe this behavior did take place and included racial taunts by some adults aimed at opposing youth players."

Ledyard schools Superintendent Jason Hartling said that there were "several adult spectators with the visiting team" that were involved in the incident. And that it did not just occur after the game but during.

"After repeated warnings, Ledyard School administration escorted one adult spectator from the facility," he said. "Through our investigation, we have also learned that at the conclusion of the game additional spectators acted in a belligerent manner and others made statements of a racist nature, including the use of the "N-word."

Ledyard education board chair Favry praised the players who were subjected to the racist vitriol for the way they handled the situation.

"The Ledyard Board of Education commends the High School Girls Basketball team for the manner in which they carried themselves, amidst the reprehensible behavior that occurred at the game on February 5th," he wrote in a statement on Facebook.

"We are deeply saddened that our players had to endure this type of behavior," he added, while also lauding school administrators and the Ledyard Police Department for "ensuring the safety of our players, students, staff, and spectators in attendance."

Favry said the district will not only ban the adults who called players the n-word and other slurs and made derogatory statements from "all future school events and school buildings," but will go farther.

"To reinforce his action and our intolerance to this type of behavior, the Board of Education will be discussing modifications to the Conduct on School Property policy at the upcoming Board of Education meeting," he said.

According to myriad reports, including accounts from people at the game who posted across social media, at the end of the Ledyard high school girls' basketball home game Saturday, as the girls were leaving the court, adults shouted the n-word at them.

"Racist remarks, statements of hate, disrespect and belligerent behavior will not be tolerated, and has no place within this community," Favry said. "We are heartbroken and angered by this behavior, and we extend our support for our LHS Girls Basketball team."

Meanwhile, Colchester First Selectman and Chief of Police Andreas Bisbikos took to Facebook to address the incident.

He said that the investigation by the town and police is ongoing, but that, "At this time no charges of a hate crime have been levied towards any citizen thus far."

In a statement on the district website, Colchester's superintendent apologized to the team.

“On behalf of Bacon Academy and our community, I offer our full and sincere apology to the Ledyard High School basketball players who were the targets of this abuse, as well as their families—this behavior does not meet the standards we promote in the Colchester schools, and we must do better," Burt said. "This is why we are examining this incident and taking the opportunity to review and improve the climate and culture of our entire school community."

The Hartford Courant reported a year ago that Bacon girl's basketball coach John Shea "was accused of allegedly making a racial remark about the New London basketball team in the huddle during a game."

The Courant reported at the time that according to a letter from Burt and the Academy's principal Matthew Peel, Shea made a comment at halftime that “included a reference to the race of the opposing team.”