Football spectators’ racist comments lead to fines for South Dakota school

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) has fined the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology for racist comments made by spectators at a football game on Nov. 13. 

In a statement, the school said it removed fans from a game against Colorado Mesa University, banning them from attending future athletic events, according to The Associated Press.

“These comments were abhorrent and stand in complete contradiction to the values and policies of the RMAC and its institutions,” RMAC Commissioner Chris Graham said in a statement. 

Graham added that the individuals were identified at the time of the reported incident and left the facility, and the school was fine. 

“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,” school President Jim Rankin said in a statement. 

In a statement published by the Rapid City Journal, SD Mines athletic director Joel Lueken expressed his “sincerest apologies” to Colorado Mesa’s football team over the incident. 

“We will endeavor to be better hosts, hold ourselves to a higher degree of sportsmanship, and strive to be better human beings,” Lueken said in a statement. “We will improve.” 

The AP noted that the investigation of the incident is still ongoing.