BYU Replaces Flaky Dawn Staley's Gamecocks To Tip Off WBB Season
BYU's women's basketball team found a new opponent for their 2022-23 season-opener after the previous opponent, the South Carolina Gamecocks, backed out of a home-and-home schedule due to BYU's involvement in a racist hoax.
Replacing South Carolina, the Colorado State Rams will fill in the open spot against BYU tipping off the WBB season. This will commence new Cougars head coach Amber Whiting's tenure in Provo.
Dawn Staley made the decision to cancel the game
Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley canceled the home-and-home series against BYU after siding with allegations made by Duke sophomore volleyball player, Rachel Richardson. She claimed she was called the N-word during a visit to Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah — on Aug. 26.
Staley's move generated mixed results as some championed her decision calling for a safe space from racial epithets. Others questioned her hasty decision amid an investigation by BYU, checking the validity of Richardson's encounter with the allegedly racist BYU fan. The consensus was that the move was more costly for Staley's team than for BYU. Staley did not consult with players in her decision but spoke to South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner.
The three-week investigation by BYU concluded that a racial slur was not directed at Richardson during the BYU-Duke match in August.
As relayed by OutKick's Grayson Weir, BYU “reached out to more than 50 individuals who attended the event. The people included Duke athletic department personnel and student-athletes, BYU athletic department personnel and student-athletes. It also included event security and management and fans who were in the arena that evening, including many of the fans in the on-court student section.”
Dawn Staley says it was her decision
HC Staley spoke on the investigation, saying she still stands with Richardson's account.
“I continue to stand by my position. After my personal research," Staley said on canceling the BYU series, "I made a decision for the well-being of my team. I regret that my university, my athletics director Ray Tanner and others got drawn into the criticism of a choice that I made.”
" was just piling on and this will buy her cred with the folks she cares about ... " one Twitter user commented regarding news of South Carolina's replacement.
The BYU Cougars will face off against the Colorado State Rams at Moby Arena on Nov. 8.
OutKick's Clay Travis takes on Staley's decision: