University of Wisconsin-Madison Athletic Director Chris McIntosh issued a statement Monday acknowledging the “vulgar and racially insensitive language” that wrestler Austin Gomez experienced at the University of Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The incident occurred during a wrestling meet between No. 2 Iowa and No. 9 Wisconsin on Saturday. As The Daily Iowan reported, Gomez “was greeted with a blend of boos and jeers” and had racist remarks directed at him as he exited the mat after defeating Iowa’s Vince Turk, 3-2.
Gomez is a former Iowa State wrestler who transferred to UW-Madison during the recent offseason. He had previously announced that he was retiring from wrestling after accruing a series of injuries.
“On or off campus, home or away, UW Athletics strives to create an atmosphere where our student-athletes feel welcome and can thrive,” McIntosh stated. "The behavior has no place in the Big Ten and college athletics as a whole. It is totally unacceptable.”
Gomez’s family raised their concerns on social media over the weekend, with his mother and father stating that a fan called the wrestler an ethnic slur for people from Spanish-speaking countries. They also claimed to have received harassment from other attendees in the stands.
“I appreciate the Gomez family having the courage to bring this to light. They have our complete support,” McIntosh said, adding that the university was in contact with Gomez and his parents.
Gomez took to Twitter to release a statement on Monday, noting that he had also been contacted by staff from the University of Iowa and had a phone call scheduled with personnel for Tuesday.
“What happened this past weekend is not surprising to me as I experienced the same thing when I wrestled for Iowa State at Carver,” Gomez said. “I can handle all that stuff and laugh it off because it’s comical to me. Especially when a fan uses a racial word toward me from the stands. Unfortunately, that is true.”
The University of Iowa athletics department has announced that it is investigating the incident and will ban any attendee found to violate their fan behavior policy from attending future Hawkeye athletic events.
“The University of Iowa denounces any act of hatred and is committed to providing a safe and equitable environment. Iowa’s Athletic Administration has reached out to Wisconsin, and the student-athlete, to apologize for the incident and to let them know we are following up on this matter,” the department stated.
Addison Lathers is the Editor in Chief of The Daily Cardinal. She has covered city and campus news and held two editor positions. Follow her on Twitter at @addisonlathers.
