The club tennis team at the University of Maryland apologized for sending a racist graphic as a part of materials for an upcoming tournament at the school.
“Last weekend, our club shared an abhorrent image which was included in a tournament program and distributed to teams from the visiting universities,” the team’s apology, which was posted to their Instagram page, began. “We deeply regret sharing this image and the pain this caused as a result of our actions.”
The team said it has already apologized in person to each of the affected teams, and then followed up with an emailed apology to each of the teams’ captains. But, “a public apology is warranted when the impact of our actions extends beyond those who received the tournament program directly,” the statement said.
The Maryland club tennis team forfeited its matches in the tournament over the weekend as a result, which continued for all other participating teams.
“Although we did not intend to share an image evoking hate and racism, we take full responsibility for failing to identify and remove it,” the apology said. “We understand this was unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our club.”
It remains unclear how that graphic got into the tournament materials and which students on the team are responsible.
One of the teams that received the materials was Howard University’s club tennis team. Their team’s president, Toni Rachal, described the graphic in an Instagram statement.
The graphic included “a recognizable symbol associated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) on the first page” below the Maryland club tennis logo, the statement said.
“KKK pointed hood masks complete with eye holes appear in the top right and lower left quadrants, replacing the Crossland coat of arms of the official Maryland state flag,” the Howard club team statement said. “The imagery is a recognizable symbol of white supremacy, organized hate, and violence.”
Howard’s team shared an image of the graphic Tuesday on Instagram, writing in the caption that it is “important for people to see what is being condemned.”
UMD Recreation and Wellness, which oversees the club team, said in a statement Tuesday that the school learned about the graphic in the tournament materials on Saturday and has since suspended the team pending an investigation. The statement added that although the incident may have involved only a few team members, the school still chose to suspend the entire team until the Office of Student Conduct completes its investigation.
The matter was also referred to police, and the University of Maryland Police Department confirmed that it is investigating but declined to provide more information.
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 apology for its detrimental impact on one and all,” Pines wrote.
Pines added that the university is “committed to doing all we can to repair the hurt and harm that this has caused, but first we must acknowledge how this incident has impacted our community members who are Black or African American, the Howard Club Tennis team, and our Black students on the Maryland Club Tennis team.”
Aniya Baker, Vice President of the Black Student Union, also called on the school to prevent incidents like this from happening again.
“Creating a safer and more inclusive campus requires more than reactive disciplinary measures; it requires sustained accountability, intentional engagement, and a genuine commitment to protecting and supporting Black students,” Baker said in a statement Thursday. “The University must demonstrate through its actions that the safety, dignity, and well-being of its Black community are priorities every day, not just when an incident demands public attention.”
In it’s statement, the Howard team asked that the Maryland team donate all funds from the weekend tournament to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The UMD team said it would.
“Moving forward, we are committed to engaging in education and training about the history and impact of racism and hate symbols,” the apology statement said. “At the request of the Howard University Club Tennis team, and in a demonstration of our commitment to taking steps to begin repairing the harm we have caused, we have made a donation to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.”