COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Four Colorado College hockey players served two-week suspensions from the team after appearing in blackface at a golf outing, The Gazette reported Wednesday.
Senior captain Scott Thauwald, sophomores Andreas Vlassopoulos and Brian Connelly, and freshman Brett Wysopal didn’t practice or participate in team activities for two weeks, including an exhibition game against the University of Calgary, the newspaper said.
They returned to practice Oct. 8 and were expected to be in the lineup for home games against Minnesota on Friday and Saturday.
“We realize now, even though there was no racial intent, that what we did was wrong,” The Gazette quoted Thauwald as saying. It quoted the other players as expressing similar regrets.
College spokeswoman Jane Turnis told The Associated Press on Wednesday she could not comment on the specifics of the case, citing privacy laws.
In a written statement, college President Richard Celeste said some students had “engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior.”
“The college took this situation very seriously and acted as quickly as possible to take substantial disciplinary action and create opportunities for dialogue,” the statement said.
Coach Scott Owens declined to comment.
The incident occurred Sept. 8 at the team’s annual preseason golf outing. Groups of players chose television shows to represent, and the four who were suspended chose “Family Matters,” which featured a black family.
In addition to the suspensions, the players were required to meet with representatives of the NAACP and the Urban League, participate in a campus forum with members of the Black Student Union and take a class on “diverse cultures,” the newspaper said.
Vanessa Roberts, co-chairwoman of the Black Student Union, said the players apologized before at least 50 students on Oct. 3. She called their appearance “helpful.”
“I know that personally, my general concern was that now that they’ve fulfilled the requirements of their punishment, that’ll be it. Now, I’m waiting to see what happens next from their side,” she said.
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Information from: The Gazette,
