WASHINGTON - Members of the Howard University tennis team are demanding more accountability after the University of Maryland (UMD) team distributed tournament materials that featured racist imagery to participants ahead of a competition. The incident prompted multiple investigations at UMD.
What we know:
The graphic, distributed to nearly a dozen college tennis clubs, depicted a Ku Klux Klan-style hood placed over the Maryland flag. What was intended to be a weekend of friendly competition, and the Howard University club’s first tournament of the season, has instead sparked campus-wide outrage and cast a shadow over both programs.
Howard players, who were the first to identify the image in the tournament materials, addressed the incident during practice Wednesday.
What they're saying:
"I don't think it was an accident or a joke. I think it was intentional, but obviously I can't speak to what they were thinking when they did it. I don't know," said Toni Rachal, president of the Howard University Tennis Club. "It's important because of the current climate of this country. We see Black people being lynched in 2026. It's important to call out things like this; otherwise they're just going to keep happening."
Kennedi Paschal, vice president of the Howard University Tennis Club, voiced the emotional toll the discovery took on the team.
"I wouldn't wish this feeling on my worst enemy," Paschal said. "Makes you feel different, just ostracized a little bit, and of course Howard has to be the one to say something."
UMD team suspended
Following the discovery, the University of Maryland suspended its entire club tennis team indefinitely, and the squad forfeited its tournament matches. UMD club tennis student leaders met with other tournament team captains to take responsibility and offer an apology.
In a statement issued yesterday, UMD’s president also apologized, condemning the graphic as "deeply harmful and offensive."
READ MORE | University of Maryland club tennis team suspended after racist material distributed, staff says
The incident is now the subject of two separate administrative inquiries at Maryland. Both the University of Maryland Police Department and the Office of Student Conduct are investigating, and the matter will also be reviewed by the university's Office of Civil Rights.
Howard players call for more accountability
Howard players said that earlier apologies and suspensions do not go far enough. The team is calling for a formal public apology and requesting that all tournament funds be donated to the African American Museum of History and Culture.
"I think that would be a great way to show serious accountability, to take next steps not only to understand why this is such a big deal, but how they can do better going forward," Paschal said. "Education about racism for America as a whole."
What we don't know:
Key questions surrounding the incident remain unanswered, including who produced and distributed the graphic, and whether the act was committed by a single student or multiple team members.
On Wednesday, the UMD Police Department said it was not releasing any further information at this time.
The Source: Information in this article is from Howard University tennis players and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.