SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference has fined South Dakota Mines for racist comments made by spectators at a football game this month.
The school said it removed the spectators from the Nov. 13 game against Colorado Mesa University and has banned them from athletic events. Conference commissioner Chis Graham called the slurs directed at the Colorado Mesa team “abhorrent.”
The school released few other details about the incident, including how much it was fined, the Rapid City Journal reported. The school’s athletic communications coordinator Josh Van Valkenburg-Gernert declined to comment on the incident because an investigation is still ongoing.
“South Dakota Mines has zero tolerance for racism. We apologize to all who were harmed by the unacceptable actions of those individuals. Their behavior goes against the core mission, vision, and values of our institution,” said Jim Rankin, the school’s president, in a statement.