Mesa Ridge football met by racist & profane words in lockers at Montrose HS before playoff game
MONTROSE, Colo. (KRDO) - Members of the Mesa Ridge varsity football team tell KRDO13 Investigates that prior to their playoff game held at Montrose High School over the weekend, they were shocked to find a slew of racist, and homophobic words and messages, including the use of a swastika, drawn inside the lockers they were supposed to use.
The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies made the long trek, roughly 6 hours, to play the Red Hawks of Montrose in the Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Class 4A playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Prior to the game however, the Grizzlies arrived in the visitor's locker room at Montrose High School, where players and coaches say they noticed inside the lockers there were various racist and homophobic words and phrases drawn into the dust that coated the shelves of the lockers.
The N-word, along with another slur used to describe those in the LGBTQ community, could be seen in cell phone video and photos captured by parents and players from the team. One snapshot also shows a swastika, a symbol associated with Nazism, drawn alongside the N-word.
"Seeing all these derogatory, hateful, racial homophobic slurs presented to us, it just it just kind of took us out of our game." said Caleb Chico, a Senior who played strong safety. "You know, it got us emotional looking over at our coaches and seeing our coaches even affected by it." he said
Head Coach for the Grizzlies Varsity football team, Jerami Calip, spoke with KRDO13 Investigates on the phone on Sunday afternoon, explaining that as a black man himself, he was immensely disappointed by the situation, adding this type of incident should not be happening in 2024.
Black players on the team, just as perplexed as their coach.
"This is how you guys really feel like, you took your time out of your day. You know, [to] come to the lockers, and like multiple lockers, and do this." said Cameron Tertullian, a Junior who plays safety.
Seniors on the team, like Quarterback Bryce Reihl, say the 20-point loss, on top of the pre-game situation, has left more than a sour taste in his mouth.
"To have everyone else, including myself, go through that as our last memory together just doesn't sit right with me." said Reihl.
A CHSAA spokesperson on Monday morning told KRDO13 Investigates that it is "a local matter that is being handled by the two schools."
On Monday afternoon, a Montrose School District spokesperson sent KRDO13 the following statement:
Montrose County School District (MCSD) has conducted a thorough investigation into the incident involving racist and homophobic language written in the dust on lockers in the room used by the visiting Mesa Ridge football team during last weekend's playoff game.
As part of this investigation, we reviewed surveillance footage from the 24 hours prior to the football game. The footage confirmed that no Montrose High School football players entered the locker room in question.
While our investigation confirms there was no targeted action against Mesa Ridge football players or their team, hate speech has no place in our schools or our community, regardless of who was responsible for the words.
KRDO13 Investigates asked the District if it had any comment on the players claims that the slurs and other words, were in-fact a targeted effort against them as a team. The players alleged that they had also found a bottle of Aleve, or Advil, with a note on it saying "F--- Mesa Ridge" and that they would "need these for after the game", referring to the pills used for pain management.
The spokesperson said to refer back to the original statement provided.
They added that the District would continue to investigate who carried out the act of writing those messages in the locker room, when school resumed after Thanksgiving break.
Mesa Ridge players said that they communicated with other teams that played on the road at Montrose High School this season, to ask if they has also stayed in the same visitors locker room that they did. Those teams said that they were placed in a weight room, or a gym, and not a locker room that looked like the the Grizzlies were given.
When KRDO13 Investigates asked for an explanation as to why this may have been the case, the spokesperson clarified in a text message that: "There was a sewage issue a few weeks back and the space that Mesa Ridge used wan an alternative visitor football locker room, for (I think) the last three visiting football teams or so."
Meanwhile, a letter sent by Mesa Ridge High School Principal Levka Craft, to families of the players on the team, was shared with KRDO13 Investigates by a Widefield School District 3 spokesperson:
"Grizzly Families,
The treatment our student-athletes experienced at Montrose High School on Saturday is abhorrent and unacceptable. No person, and especially no child, should ever be subjected to such conduct. Our athletes deserve to compete in a safe and supportive environment, free from hate and intimidation.
As you know, the incident was reported to law enforcement. We have reached out to both Montrose High School and the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). We are waiting to hear from both about their next steps.
I stand in support of our students, our coaches, and our families. I will keep you informed as we navigate this situation, and I am available to our students, coaches, and families if you have any questions or would like to talk. As always, I am happy to meet or to speak on the phone. I am in the office today and Tuesday, and my direct office number is 719-391-3660.
We stand together."
UPDATE: Mesa Ridge High School has been contacted by Montrose High School's administration that they are investigating the situation.
Saturday's game was the second time the two teams had met in the 2024 season. The first matchup, on October 18, saw Montrose claim a narrow 32-28 victory over Mesa Ridge. The Red Hawks would ultimately come out on top in their second duel, with a 53-21 win on Saturday, following the shocking incident for Grizzlies players pre-game.
