University of Maryland club tennis team suspended after racist graphic sent to other schools

The University of Maryland, College Park’s club tennis team has been suspended indefinitely after players distributed racist programming material, according to a statement from the university.

The team distributed a graphic containing racist imagery targeting Black people, the university said. The graphic was sent out as part of programming material emailed to other university tennis clubs in the region regarding College Park’s tournament on Saturday.

The graphic, which was distributed in a Google document that also included scheduling details for the tournament and a campus map, reportedly depicted Ku Klux Klan hoods. The graphic was discovered by the president of the Howard University club tennis team, who contacted the university.

“The University of Maryland is horrified and expresses its regret and sincere apology for the harm that this has caused,” wrote Rebecca Aloisi, senior director for university communications. “This matter has been referred to the University of Maryland Police Department and Office of Student Conduct.”

Aloisi said that while the incident “may have directly involved only a few student team members,” the entire club has been suspended pending the investigation. The team forfeited its matches in the tournament, and the club leaders met with other team captains to take responsibility and apologize, she said.

The incident does not affect the university’s varsity tennis team, which requires players try out for a spot. The club team states that it accepts all those who are interested, regardless of skill level. It also doesn’t practice at the same intensity that the university’s Division I program does.

Brent Flynn, the university’s director of recreation and wellness, also sent an email to the other schools that were invited to the tournament, apologizing for the incident. Flynn oversees the university’s 48 club sports teams.

The tournament featured other regional club teams, such as Howard, the Johns Hopkins University and Loyola University Maryland. These club teams, according to social media posts, frequently play each other in tournaments hosted at their respective universities.

A representative for UMD’s club tennis team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to a statement that the club posted on the university’s website, the tennis team’s mission is to “promote accessible, safe and organized tennis programming for the undergraduate community by offering consistent practice environments, competitive pathways and inclusive recreational play.”

Last year, the university’s club tennis team’s home invitational included 16 teams from six states, as well as 57 University of Maryland participants. The club hasn’t yet posted about this year’s contest, which they forfeited, and has not released a statement.

The last social media post the club made was a montage of students playing tennis on Saturday, with a caption thanking those who played at the University of Virginia tournament.

“We had so much fun at this tournament and can’t wait to be back in the spring!!” the post reads.

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