Posted on November 20, 2013

Massachusetts High School Cancels Football Games After Racial Slur Spraypainted on Player’s Home

Lateef Mungin, CNN, November 20, 2013

A Massachusetts high school football team canceled the rest of its season after someone scrawled a racial epithet on the home of one of its players.

“Knights don’t need [the n-word],” the slur read.

The Blue Knights are the football team at Lunenburg High School, a school 55 miles northwest of Boston.

The epithet was spray painted in large blue letters on the foundation of the ranch-style home where the team’s 13-year-old fullback lives.

{snip}

The boy’s mother is white; his father black, the station said.

The boy told the station he’s been dealing with other harassing incidents in recent weeks. His cleats were doused in water; the tire on his bicycle was slashed, he said.

“We wish to express our outrage and sorrow over the hateful and vile acts against one of our own,” the Lunenburg School Committee said in a press release.

“We assure you and our entire community that we will continue to work to ensure that hate has no place in our schools.”

School officials canceled last Friday’s game, and said they will forfeit the remaining two games–including the traditional Thanksgiving Day game.

“It would be highly inappropriate to play the remaining games while there is an ongoing investigation,” the committee said.

{snip}