Sylvia Hatchell, head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of North Carolina for the past 33 years, resigned her position after a report was made public that said the coach “made comments that were racially insensitive, and when confronted by players and staff did not respond in a timely or appropriate manner.”
After receiving complaints from student athletes, the university hired law firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein to conduct an independent review. In a statement the university said that the review “concluded that Hatchell is not viewed as a racist, but her comments and subsequent response caused many in the program to believe she lacked awareness and appreciation for the effect her remarks had on those who heard them.”
Reportedly, Coach Hatchell had told her players that they would be hung “from trees with nooses” if there on-the-court performance did not improve. The majority of the players on the 2018-19 roster are African Americans.
