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player ready...Officials from the Diocese of Gary, Andrean High School and Bishop Noll Institute are investigating racially charged chants and signs that emerged from the Andrean cheering section during Friday night’s game against Bishop Noll.
A group of Andrean students was photographed holding a large Fathead photo of Donald Trump and a sign saying “ESPN DEPORTES,” while chanting “Build a wall!” Noll fans countered with “You’re a racist!”
The situation escalated and both sides were chanting back and forth, according to witnesses. The incident was publicized on Facebook by a Hammond resident and picked up by a number of news outlets as it used inflammatory rhetoric by Trump, who has advocated building a wall at the Mexican border to keep out immigrants.
Andrean school administrators confiscated the signs once they realized what was going on, the diocese said. Gary Bishop Donald Hying said students who were involved could face disciplinary action. Hying, who was present at the game with his family, and school officials met Sunday “to plan steps for moving forward,” according to a diocese statement.
“Any actions or words that can be perceived as racist or derogatory to others are antithetical to the Christian faith and will not be tolerated in any of our institutions,” Hying said in a statement. “It was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind that such actions would be happening at a gathering of two of our Catholic high schools. This is not what we teach our students.
“Jesus is at the center of all we do and his message was and is one of inclusion and respect for all people. I take this incident to heart and again state that it is not to be tolerated, even as a childish prank.”
Andrean Principal Rick Piwowarski didn’t respond to an interview request Monday, but he did release a statement through the diocese.
“We will be taking steps within our halls, in (collaboration) with the diocesan administration and Bishop Noll, to ensure that all of our students and staff understand their obligations of responsibility, acceptance and sportsmanship,” Piwowarski said in the statement.
Bishop Noll Principal Craig Stafford and school President Paul Mullaney sent a message to the school community emphasizing that this should be a teachable moment “about responsible speech, social media and sportsmanship.”
“Perhaps (the incident) was an unfortunate byproduct of irresponsible speech in today’s political arena. (We) are proud of our students. We are proud of our diversity. Our diversity is our strength. Bishop Noll will continue to educate our students in faith, social justice and to always respect all people, regardless of race, creed or socioeconomic status.”
The Indiana High School Athletic Association intervenes when incidents occur on the playing field, such as last year’s fight during a Griffith-Hammond boys basketball game. IHSAA sports information director Jason Wille said conduct in the stands is typically handled by schools, but the sports governing body does keep tabs on troubling incidents.
“The commissioner (Bobby Cox) spoke with administrators from the schools, and it seems as though they are handling this internally and using it as a teaching moment,” Wille said. “The commissioner reiterated that there’s no place for behavior like this.”
The IHSAA receives reports of unsporting behavior incidents at its monthly board meetings, Wille said, but they had been declining in recent months compared to the same period last year. Wille said it’s difficult to compare the Andrean-Noll incident to any recent one because of the unique nature of each school and the people involved.
Andrean is one of several Northwest Indiana schools known for their raucous cheering sections, but occasionally fans have been accused of going over the line with their rhetoric. In December 2005, then-West Side coach John Boyd alleged that the students in Highland’s student section shouted racial epithets and paraded around in monkey suits and pimp outfits, but Highland denied anything racist was said or intended. The incident was investigated by the IHSAA.