Colorado State University has issued an apology to Utah State University and one of its basketball players after CSU students started a chant at a game on Saturday that has since been called "disrespectful," "inappropriate" and "unacceptable."
Ukrainian-born Utah State player Max Shulga was shooting free throws toward the end of Saturday's game when chants of "Russia" were heard from the CSU student section. Shulga was born in Kyiv and his family still lives in Ukraine.
CSU released a statement in light of the incident. “Colorado State University apologizes to Max Shulga, the entire Utah State basketball team, and Utah State fans for the disrespectful and inappropriate behavior displayed by a small number of individuals at the CSU-Utah State basketball game," the statement read. "We, as a university community, expect our fans and employees to conduct themselves in a manner reflective of our Principles of Community."
The school also posted an apology on social media.
A spokesperson for CSU said the school "investigates potential Student Conduct Code violations through a variety of means including witness accounts and video." Saturday's game was televised and the chant could be heard on the broadcast.
Max Shulga released a statement on Twitter thanking CSU and its head basketball coachoach Niko Medved. Shulga said, while the chant was “extremely upsetting” he understands that sometimes “emotions can run high during competition and people can say and do things they do not really mean.” He accepted the CSU community’s apologies and asked everyone to join him in “praying for peace in Ukraine.”
KUNC reached out to CSU and Utah State for further comment on the incident. Both schools declined to comment.
