The University of Maryland club tennis team has been suspended indefinitely after including a racist graphic in a weekend tournament program in College Park, the school said in a statement. According to the UMD Recreation and Wellness statement, the school learned that the team handed out materials with “a graphic containing racist images directed at Black or African American people.” “They emailed this information to other college tennis clubs in the region regarding this weekend’s fall tournament in College Park,” the statement said. The UMD statement noted that the incident may have involved only a few members of the team, but that the school still decided to suspend the entire team until the Office of Student Conduct completes its investigation. The matter was also referred to the University of Maryland Police Department, the school said. The police department confirmed it is conducting an investigation but declined to provide more information. UMD’s Office of Student Conduct did not immediately respond to requests for comment. “The University of Maryland is horrified and expresses its regret and sincere apology for the harm this has caused,” the school said in the statement. In a statement, UMD President Darryll J. Pines said the school “condemned the image in no uncertain terms.” “It was deeply harmful and offensive, and I offer my apologies for its detrimental impact on each and every one,” Pines wrote. The tennis team lost its matches in the tournament, which continued for all other participating teams. Leaders of the UMD club tennis team apologized to other team captains and took responsibility for sending the racist graphics, according to the statement. Each invited team also received an apology email from the UMD tennis team. UMD was on site to support the visiting teams and sent an email of apology to the recreation directors of the affected schools, as well as the presidents of the participating teams. One of those presidents was Toni Rachal, who represents the club tennis team at Howard University, a historically black school. In a statement posted to their Instagram account, Howard’s team said Rachal noticed the graphic in a shared Google document emailed to participating teams. The graphic contained “a recognizable symbol associated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) on the front page” below the UMD tennis club logo, according to the statement. “Pointed-hooded KKK masks with eye holes appear in the upper right and lower left quadrants, replacing the Crossland coat of arms of the official Maryland state flag,” the statement describes. “The images are a recognizable symbol of white supremacy, organized hate and violence.” Howard’s team shared an image of the graphic in an Instagram post on Tuesday, writing in the caption that it’s “important for people to see what’s being condemned.” Members of Howard’s team said they confronted the Maryland team about the graphic to express their concerns. Even though the team was suspended and investigated, Howard’s team said, “True accountability is yet to come.” Howard’s team is calling on both UMD and the executive board of the school’s tennis club to publicly apologize to Howard University and its team, conduct a formal investigation into who created the document, and provide sensitivity training for the school’s team leaders and advisors. Howard’s team is also requesting that funds from the weekend’s tournament be donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “There is no place for racism, bullying, or images rooted in racial hatred and violence in college athletics, on our campuses, or anywhere in our society,” Wayne AI Frederick, interim president and president emeritus of Howard University, said in a statement. He added that he appreciated UMD President Darryll J. Pines for his immediate concern and said Howard is there to support all the students who participated in the tournament. The UMD Black Student Union said in a statement posted to its Instagram that the vice president of student affairs reached out to the group immediately after the incident. The group thanked the university for its quick response, but added: “We know that administrative actions alone cannot undo the emotional impact inflicted on Black students, especially when added to a broader social climate where racial tension is already a constant burden.” It called on the university to “commit to long-term systemic accountability and active restoration of harm, ensuring that the impact on Black students is addressed directly, transparently, and with immediate urgency.” Pines added in her statement that UMD is “committed to doing everything we can to repair the harm this has caused, but first we must recognize how this incident has impacted members of our community who are Black or African American, the Howard Club tennis team, and our Black students on the Maryland Club tennis team.”
