Princeton Suspends Its Swimming and Diving Team for Misogynistic Messages

Princeton suspended its men’s swimming and diving team for sending “misogynistic and racist” messages, the New York Times reports.

A Princeton spokesperson would not disclose the content of the messages in an interview with the Times, but he said that the messages were focused on the women’s swim and dive team. The messages were discovered after someone made an anonymous complaint about the 38-member team. A final decision on whether the rest of the season is cancelled will be made in the coming weeks, according to a statement from the university.

“We make clear to all of our student-athletes that they represent Princeton University at all times, on and off the playing surface and in and out of season, and we expect appropriate, respectful conduct from them at all times,” Princeton Athletics Director Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in a statement. “The behavior that we have learned about is simply unacceptable. It is antithetical to the values of our athletic program and of the University, and will not be tolerated.“

It’s the latest suspension in a string of incidents involving “locker room talk” on college sports teams. Harvard cancelled its men’s soccer season last month after discovering the team had a longstanding tradition of ranking women’s appearances. Columbia University suspended a handful of wrestlers from the team for sending lewd and racist messages. Earlier this week, Amherst College suspended its cross country team for similar messages.

[The New York Times]