As disappointing as the The defeat of Monmouth University men’s basketball took place Friday night against Siena, first place, it was the actions of some students in the stands that made insignificant what happened on the field.
In the team’s 86-72 defeat in the last home game of the season, a photo of a sign with homophobic messages directed against one of the players in Siena emerged from the student section of Monmouth, located behind the basket at the east end of the OceanFirst Bank. Center in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
A photo of the incident surfaced on social media this weekend.
According to information posted on social networks, members of the student section posted copies of one of the profiles of Siena’s players on the Tinder dating application, while the visiting team returned to the second floor for the second. semester.
At the back of the group, someone is seen in the photo holding a large white board above his head with the message “Stick to GRINDR”.
Grindr is an online dating and social networking application that presents itself as “the largest social networking application in the world for gays, bi, trans and homosexuals”.
Monmouth University President Patrick Leahy, who regularly attends men’s basketball games, promised an investigation in an email he sent to the campus community on Saturday.
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Leahy said he “was made aware of the highly offensive actions of several members of our student body against players of the opposing team in last night’s men’s basketball game.”
“Rest assured that we are working quickly to collect additional details and to deal directly with the behavior with those involved,” said Leahy in the email obtained by Asbury Park Press. “We value every member of our community on campus. Strong and inclusive communities are built on a bond of trust. When that bond is broken, we take it very seriously. No discrimination of any kind will be tolerated on this campus . ”
“Please believe that I will update the campus community as we continue to investigate,” said Leahy.
The incident occurred just two nights after a Gay Pride party was held during a men’s basketball game in Monmouth. This event, along with a women’s basketball game on February 27, was hosted by Monmouth female tennis captain Caroline Mattise, who is gay.
The visiting team’s cloakroom is located under the stands, just inside the tunnel that leads to the court in front of the student section.
There was an incident between the two teams on the field immediately after the match, with the players of the two teams having to be separated only seconds after the final buzzer after what had been a contentious match. It is not known if this was a reaction to the students.
