Parents allege racist comments at Salve Regina football game

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A William Paterson football player’s mother says she heard racist and offensive comments during the team’s game against Salve Regina University on Saturday, September 19.

Vanetta Rivera, whose son plays for William Paterson, described the incident in a TikTok and later spoke with William Paterson’s student-run newspaper, The Beacon, about what she says happened at the game.

Rivera said the visiting team’s seating area was directly behind the Salve Regina sideline. She said that made it possible for fans to hear conversations between coaches and players.

According to Rivera, she heard a Salve Regina coach make vulgar comments toward William Paterson players during the game. She also alleges the coach made comments about the players being sent back to the projects and the hood.

Rivera said she believed the comments were racially motivated and inappropriate for a college football game.

Parents raise concerns with public safety

Rivera said another William Paterson player’s mother also heard the comments and approached Salve Regina’s Public Safety Director.

According to Rivera, the women were told they were escalating the situation and needed to lower the tension.

Rivera said she disagreed with that response. She felt the comments coming from the sidelines were the problem and should have been addressed by university officials.

She also said the comments were especially troubling because William Paterson has played at Salve Regina before, and fans regularly sit close enough to hear the visiting team’s conversations.

Rivera confronts athletic director

Rivera said she also spoke with Salve Regina Athletic Director Sean Sullivan about what she had heard.

She told him that she was concerned not only for her son but also for Black players on the Salve Regina team. Rivera said she questioned how those players might be treated if similar comments were being made about opposing teams.

She said Sullivan would not identify the coach she believed made the comments.

Rivera also said a Salve Regina public safety official later accused her of recording an incident and making claims about something that did not happen.

She denied that accusation and said another parent had raised concerns before she began recording.

Rivera said security eventually asked her to leave the stadium with 24 seconds remaining in the game.

As she left, she said she was concerned that security personnel might follow her. She also said she heard a security official being told over a radio to watch which direction she went.

Players allegedly made comments, too

Rivera said her son later told her that players on the opposing team also made comments he considered racially offensive.

She said one player made a remark implying that a William Paterson player did not have a father because he attended the school. Another allegedly referenced the player’s use of FAFSA, the federal financial aid application.

Rivera said the comments heightened her concerns about how William Paterson players were treated during the game.

Salve Regina says students are being investigated

Rivera said she contacted the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference and Salve Regina’s diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator on September 21.

At the time she spoke with The Beacon, she said she had not received a response from either organization.

Salve Regina later issued a statement through Julie Miller, the university’s director of content and media relations.

The university said it had learned of a verbal altercation involving Salve Regina students and William Paterson fans during the game. Salve Regina said its athletic leadership had contacted William Paterson’s football program and athletic director to apologize.

The university also disputed claims that members of its coaching staff were involved. Salve Regina said that coaches had been incorrectly identified on social media and were not involved in the incident.

The university said it had also started its official student conduct process to investigate what happened and determine whether disciplinary action was appropriate.

Rivera wants an apology

Rivera said she wants Salve Regina officials to apologize publicly.

She said the apology needs to address both the treatment she received from public safety and the comments directed at William Paterson players.

Rivera also pointed out that the game ended with Salve Regina winning 41-6. In her view, there was no reason for the game to become personal or involve offensive comments toward the opposing team.

The allegations remain disputed. Rivera and other parents have described comments they say they heard during the game, while Salve Regina has said its coaching staff was not involved and that the university is investigating students’ conduct.