Multiple NCAA gymnastics teams accused of racism by former athletes
In the past 10 days since the killing of George Floyd, the world has witnessed an uprising of protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for justice and reform, as well as many African Americans stepping forward to discuss their experiences with racism. Gymnastics, specifically the NCAA gymnastics community, has not been immune.
Here, we chronicle just some of the reports of racism from brave athletes who have stepped forward in the hopes of inciting change from their former programs and the community as a whole.
Former Alabama gymnast Tia Kiaku says she faced racism on team
Former Alabama gymnast Tia Kiaku detailed multiple racist incidents that she experienced in a social media post on Tuesday, namely a racist joke from an assistant coach and fellow teammates using racist language and the N-word without repercussions.
The post came soon after the Alabama gymnastics Twitter page posted for #BlackoutTuesday with the caption, “Unity.” Kiaku elaborated further with details in an Instagram post, confirming that she decided to “walk away from the team” after the incidents.
According to The Tuscaloosa News, the other two African American girls who were subject to the racist joke were Makarri Doggette and Sania Mitchell.
Per ESPN, Kiaku filed a formal Title IX complaint but said only the joke was investigated while the assistant coach, who has since been identified as current coach Bill Lorenz, was given a warning and allowed to remain on the team.
“They said he had something on his record but would remain a coach and it was just a bad joke,” Kiaku said. “It was a slap on the wrist.”
No coach or athlete was publicly disciplined. According to a statement from Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, “Title IX Programs gathered all of the facts, an outcome was determined, reported back and action steps were taken.”
Lorenz released a statement to The Tuscaloosa News on Wednesday in which he said, “What was intended to be a lighthearted comment ended up having an offensive impact, and I regret that. It hurts me that I hurt anyone. I care so much about this team and our student-athletes, and I believe they know that.”
Alabama declined to address what specific steps were taken and declined to comment on any of Kiaku’s allegations, citing legal restrictions.
“The one thing that drove me to Alabama was that they really stressed unity and family and class and sisterhood,” she said. “You can’t be part of a community and let injustice happen to part of your community. You can’t have class if you let these things happen. You can’t have sisterhood when you’re leaving someone behind. They don’t practice what they preach at all.”
Since the allegations, multiple gymnasts and head coach Dana Duckworth have spoken out.
The team’s official social media accounts also released a video on Thursday, featuring Doggette and Mitchell and accompanied by a statement from the athletes themselves that reads, “We can think of no better term to describe Alabama Gymnastics than, ‘One heart.’ This is a group of amazing individuals with varying backgrounds that come together to form an incredibly special team. We stand by each other, and we love each other. None of us are perfect. We’ve all made mistakes, and we continue to learn from each other every day. We support one another, from our teammates to our coaches to our support staff, and we are proud to be student-athletes at The University of Alabama.”
A petition has since been created titled “Justice for Tia Kiaku” that supporters can sign on Change.org.
Former Florida gymnasts Kytra Hunter and Kennedy Baker detail racist interactions within Gator program
Both Kennedy Baker and Kytra Hunter have spoken up on Twitter about their own negative experiences with racism while on the team.
On Monday, June 1, Baker tweeted about the program’s silence in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, equating it to “how my own team asked for my silence when they were saying racist things to me and calling me racist names.”
Hunter issued her own detailed statement on Friday morning in which she said she, too, “experienced racism from [her] own teammates.” Racist references included asking if she was going to “cater fried chicken and watermelon to [her] wedding” and “We saved you a seat in the back of the bus.” In addition, Hunter said the N-word was used repeatedly.
Both the team and head coach Jenny Rowland have issued statements “standing against racism.” In addition, current Gator star Trinity Thomas issued an individual statement in which she states she has had “positive experiences as a black collegiate athlete,” but she knows “many athletes that have not been as fortunate as me.”
Rowland also tweeted about a conversation she had with Baker after the former gymnast’s tweet on Monday.
“I have and will always love and support you, and I will continue to grow and stand beside you against racism and injustice,” Rowland’s tweet said.
Former Nebraska head coach Dan Kendig accused of racism
On Wednesday, former Nebraska gymnast Ashley Lambert released a statement on Facebook telling of multiple instances of racism she experienced while with the team and explicitly citing former head coach Dan Kendig, who resigned in 2018, as the direct source for the majority of those occurrences.
Lambert details situations where her and the other African American athletes on the team were called the N-word, subjected to racial profiling, and one instance where Lambert called a seat in the back of the bus on the way to a meet and Kendig replied, “Yea, your people always loved it back there.”
While the team released its own statement on Monday and participated in #BlackoutTuesday, it has not commented publicly on the accusations.
Nebraska is now coached by former associate head coach Heather Brink, who was with the program when Lambert was on the team. Lambert says only Kendig was involved in the incidents and the other coaches treated her “as if [she] were their own child.”
NCAA programs called out for silence, lack of diversity on teams
In the past week, many NCAA programs have been judged by fans for how they are speaking out against racism and the injustices African Americans in America currently face, and while most programs have at least commented on the issue, some have been criticized for their silence, lack of diversity within their program, and/or the decision to not take further action beyond issuing a statement.
Programs like UCLA and Iowa have been lauded for their responses, which have included sharing resources to support the cause and amplifying their athletes’ voices.
Meanwhile programs like Georgia and Oklahoma were widely criticized for being “silent” and “vague” in their actions.
Former Southeast Missouri assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Chris Licameli penned a post on his own blog titled “Racism in NCAA Gymnastics” where he detailed the frequent use of the N-word by multiple head coaches and athletes during his tenure, as well as athletes being uncomfortable with intrasquad themes, including a “Cowboys vs. Indians” theme that he spoke up against at the time.
While the post does not explicitly mention the program, Licameli is listed on the program’s website as a coach during the exact time frame cited.
Southeast Missouri has been completely silent in regard to the accusations and current situation as a whole, only sharing happy birthday posts to its athletes on social media in the past week.
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