Racist language used on field in November Lakes-Stanwood football game, investigation finds
An investigation commissioned by the Clover Park School District found that the N-word was directed toward Lakes High School students on and off the field during a playoff football game at Stanwood High School in November.
The Clover Park School District and the Stanwood-Camano School District launched investigations following allegations of racist language during the football game.
The Clover Park School District investigation, conducted by Seattle-based attorney Jeffery M. Wells, found, on a “more probable than not basis,” that:
- The n-word was directed at Lakes cheerleaders in the girls bathroom before kickoff.
- The n-word was used at least once by individuals in the Stanwood stands before the game.
- The n-word was used by Stanwood football players during the game.
The third finding — that racist language was used by Stanwood players during the game — contradicts the findings of the investigation from the Stanwood-Camano School District. While that particular investigation also found it “likely” that racist language was used in the girls bathroom and by at least one Stanwood student in the stands, it did not find sufficient evidence that racial slurs were used on the field by Stanwood players.
Wells interviewed 10 witnesses — including Lakes coaches, administrators and two Lakes football players — and reviewed 27 witness statements as part of his investigation for Clover Park School District.
According to the interview, one Lakes player said that a Stanwood player told him “stay down, [n-word]” after making a tackle. The Lakes player also said he reported the use of the n-word to officials twice.
That contradicts accounts of what happened from the officiating crew. In a phone interview with The News Tribune after the game, Steve Jensen — the head referee of the crew that officiated the game — said he and his crew never heard any racist language or received any complaints.
According to Wells’ interview, the Lakes player said that during the second quarter, he told the official to “watch out for (Stanwood’s) offensive linemen because they are calling us the n-word.” In response the official said that he would watch out for it. The second time the Lakes player complained was at the end of the third quarter, saying “Ref, you have to watch out. They keep calling us the n-word.” In response, the official said that he had not heard anything.
A second Lakes player who was interviewed said he also heard the n-word used by Stanwood players and reported the issue to officials on at least three occasions. In response, the officials said that they did not hear anything.
In an interview with Wells, Lakes head coach Dave Miller said he heard someone in the Stanwood student section yell “[n-words], go home.” After warm-ups, Lakes cheerleading coach Nicole Wolfs told him that a female cheerleader had been called the n-word in the bathroom. As the game progressed, Lakes football players reported that they had been called the n-word on the football field. Miller received additional reports from assistant coaches that players were reporting that they had been called the n-word.
After receiving the reports, Miller said, he talked to the sideline official and asked him to listen for the racial slurs. The official did not appear to acknowledge the request. Miller said he did not feel comfortable calling a timeout and stopping the game because he did not want to make a “bigger deal” of the situation and wanted to focus on coaching the players. In hindsight, he said, he would have called a timeout and had the head official come over.
Lakes athletic director Gary Larson, who was at the game, said he did not hear the n-word or any other racial term used before, during or after the game. He also said he didn’t speak to Miller after the game about the alleged usage of racial slurs, which contradicts a statement Miller made.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
The incident was first brought to the public’s attention in a Facebook post after the game. Claire Dade Johnson said her daughter, a cheerleader for Lakes High School, was called the n-word in the girls bathroom by Stanwood students.
In another Facebook post, Lakes assistant coach Kory Eggenberger, who grew up in Stanwood, detailed some of racial abuse that was directed toward the Lakes players.
Both the Stanwood-Camano School District and Clover Park School District launched investigations following the allegations stemming from the game.
The Stanwood-Camano investigation, conducted by Seattle-area attorney Noel Treat, found it was “likely” a student used offensive language in the stands and that a racial slur was used in the girls bathroom before the game. It did not find sufficient evidence that Stanwood football players used racist language on the field.
The Clover Park School District investigation found that racist language was used during the game.
“This is supported not only by the statements of witnesses who heard the term used directly but also by witnesses who observed one Lakes’ players (name withheld) reaction to the term, including his refusal to shake Stanwood players hands at the end of the game,” the report states. “I am unable to determine the number of times that the term was used or the specific players that used the term.”
In a statement following its investigation, the Stanwood-Camano School District said it does not tolerate discrimination, hate and racism in its schools.
“The Stanwood-Camano School District apologizes to the Lakes High School students, staff, parents, and families impacted by these incidents,” the statement said. “Nonetheless, hateful words and actions do not reflect the values of the school district, Stanwood High School, the athletic programs, and the Stanwood-Camano community. Events like this cause pain and harm students, staff, and communities.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 1:33 PM.
