A senior Syracuse University women’s soccer player was caught on video saying: “Are you recording this, you f*ggot-ass n*gger?” The player has been named by the college as Hanna Strong. She adds, “Call me out on saying the n-word. I don’t give a shit.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Background to the Video Is Unknown
What exactly prompted Strong to go on this rant is unknown. In the fallout of the vile statements, Strong has deleted her Twitter account, which had the profile description, “Never a failure. Always a lesson.”
2. Syracuse Has ‘Zero Tolerance’ for Her Rant
Syracuse University’s Daryl Gross has released a statement about the incident, according to the Daily News:
This type of intolerant and hurtful language, focused on both race and sexual orientation, is not part of the culture we seek to foster among our student-athletes and it has no place at Syracuse University. Syracuse Athletics, as a strong and diverse part of this University community, has zero tolerance for these actions.
3. Campus Police Are Involved
The incident is being investigated by the Syracuse Public Safety department. One of the public safety cruisers can be seen in the video.
4. She’s From Massachusetts
Strong pictured with a friend in 2012. (Instagram)
Strong is native of Monsoon, Massachusetts. She attended high school there at Monsoon High School. Her parents are Andrew and Carolyn Strong, according to her official Syracuse profile.
5. She Was a Star High School Player
Strong taking to the field for Syracuse in 2012. (Twitter)
According to her official profile on Syracuse’s website, she was a record-breaking high school soccer player. The page says that in her senior year, she led Monsoon High School to an 18-0-0, contributing 17 goals along the way. She was also signed to local soccer team, the Syracuse Lady Knights.
The Daily Orange reports that Strong hasn’t had a shot yet this season for Syracuse and that she missed the entire 2013 season due to injury.