High school students from a Sacramento, California, basketball team reportedly faced racially-charged taunts during a playoff game, according to Sacramento NBC affiliate KCRA 3.
The game, which took place on Feb. 25, was between Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, California, and the visiting C.K. McClatchy High School from Sacramento. A parent of one of the C.K. McClatchy High School players told KCRA 3 that, during the game, people sitting in the Oak Ridge section yelled racially-charged insults at the players.
“What the student body would 'cheer' during the game is even worse — keep in mind that half of our team is of Asian descent," Kumamoto told KCRA 3. "They would yell 'soy sauce,' 'little eyes,' 'you're ugly' — just to name a few.”
Kumamoto also alleged that school administrators who were present did nothing to stop the comments. A video of the game posted by Kumamoto on March 8 has been viewed approximately 40,000 times. He did not respond to a request from NBC News for comment.
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On Tuesday, the El Dorado Union High School District released a statement on behalf of Oak Ridge High School, saying that the actions during the game were unacceptable and not a reflection of the school.
"Oak Ridge High School has been working from the inception of this situation with McClatchy administration and their respective athletic department," the statement reads. "We are disappointed and saddened by this situation and are working to address the inappropriate behavior."
Oak Ridge High School student leadership also sent a joint letter of apology to the McClatchy basketball team, saying that they will work to better educate their peers.
"Additionally, we would like to apologize for any derogatory comments that came from various students seated within the student section," the letter reads. "These actions of a few are disappointing and not a true reflection of our student body."
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