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Following Saturday's incident at the Illinois State game over a racial slur aimed at Jamarii Thomas, Norfolk State president Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston and Director of Athletics Melody Webb have released a statement. The statement condemned the incident and said that they've spoken to Illinois State president and athletic directors about what occurred.
The statement read:
“We are profoundly disappointed at the events that transpired during the men's basketball game yesterday at Illinois State University where racial epithets were shouted at our student-athletes. We are at a critical time in this nation and world as it relates to race relations, and any type of hate speech or language is unacceptable.
This type of behavior and language has no place in society or in athletic competition. College athletics is rooted in sportsmanship, camaraderie and exhibiting school pride. We appreciate Coach Jones for standing up for our student-athletes, and we commend our student-athletes for exhibiting restraint during a stressful ordeal. Our student-athletes followed in the footsteps of the late Bill Russell and basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during their collegiate careers, and successfully played through racial slurs meant to traumatize and disrupt the team. Our students remained Spartan Strong, but that is not something they should have to overcome during an athletic event in 2023. We are so proud of our team maintaining a competitive game and spectacular performance for a win against Illinois State University.
We have heard from the president and athletic director of Illinois State University. They have stated the behavior shown to our student-athletes at the Horton Field House is not representative of their institution and they will fully investigate this incident. We acknowledge their apology and look forward to hearing the results of their investigation.”
The statement follows the altercation on Saturday following Jamarii Thomas being called a racial slur by “one or two” Illinois State fans. This upset Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones once he was informed of what happened and he walked onto the court and voiced his displeasure to the referees.
In response, Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon approached Jones at the scorer's table, taking exception to what Jones did. That escalated the situation and caused players from both teams to gather behind their respective coaches. After the referees and coaching staffs intervened and resolved the altercation, both Jones and Pedon received technical fouls, while the fans involved in the incident with Thomas were ejected from the venue.
