LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart posted on his verified Twitter account that “there will be consequences” for a fan of the school’s men’s basketball team who was shown in two videos yelling a racial slur at a Tennessee fan during a home game this week.
The incident occurred near the end of the visiting Volunteers’ 81-73 upset of the No. 6 Wildcats on Tuesday night, which ended Kentucky’s eight-game winning streak and was the team’s first home loss since mid-November.
Ethan Williams tweeted a video of himself yelling at Kentucky fans as they left Rupp Arena near the end of the game. Williams’ video and another from a spectator seated on the same row show a woman, who identified herself as Ashley Lyles to Lexington TV station WLEX, who stopped and yelled the slur as she left.
Lyles apologized in a statement released by the TV station in which she called her reaction “unacceptable, period.” In the same apology, she said: “My words were hurtful and hateful and have no place in this world. I apologize to the University and state of Kentucky for the embarrassment I have caused. I want my apology not just to be in words, but in actions moving forward.”
Barnhart said Wednesday night in a series of posts on his Twitter account that an incident such as the one that occurred at Rupp Arena “has no place at the University of Kentucky.” The AD added that while the person in question is not a season ticket holder, “there are still ways to ensure those actions are not repeated at future UK events.”