Columbia Will Allow Wrestling Team to Compete After Misogynistic Texts

Columbia University’s wrestling season will go on after a number of members sent a series of misogynistic and racist text messages, the Columbia Daily Spectator reported.

After student news site Bwog reported that members of the team had sent a series of text messages that included racial slurs and jokes about sexual violence, the Ivy League University barred the team from competing pending an investigation. On Friday, Columbia said that it had finished the investigation and decided to suspend the team members who had “acted on their own,” according to a statement.

“Those responsible for the offensive statements in the group chat have lost the privilege to represent Columbia University in intercollegiate athletics competition and have been immediately suspended from the wrestling squad through the rest of the season and 2016-17 academic year. Other individuals have been suspended until the beginning of the spring 2017 semester,” the statement said. The rest of the team will be allowed to compete for the rest of the season.

Just weeks before, Harvard University cancelled the remainder of its men’s soccer season after an investigation revealed that the team participated in a “widespread” practice of ranking women’s appearances.

Read Columbia’s full statement here.