'REPULSIVE, VIOLENT, RACIST'

High School Girls Soccer Team Ends Season Early Over Racist, Homophobic Slurs

The student-athletes called it quits after one player was tormented during a game and called a "monkey."

High-school athletes in Vermont ended their soccer season early after they were hit with racist and homophobic comments during a game last week. On Friday, Winooski schools superintendent Sean McMannon issued a letter to families in the district regarding “repulsive, violent, racist, and homophobic language against” Winooski High School players in a game against Bellows Free Academy Fairfax. The superintendent said a player and a fan of the opposing team called a student on Winooski’s team a “monkey,” and another was the focus of anti-LGBTQ+ comments. “While these comments are always upsetting to hear after the fact, they have real and devastating impacts on our student-athletes who were only trying to represent their school and the sport they love,” McMannon wrote. He said that the game was paused so administrators could figure out the best course of action after the incident, but it “did little to diminish the harm” already done. The superintendent added that state-wide policies need to be put in place to prevent similar behavior at other school events.