Duke removes blackface photo of lacrosse player

DURHAM, N.C. The Duke athletic department has removed a photo from its website showing a women's lacrosse player dressed in blackface at a team Halloween party.

The team held the party and costume contest at head coach Kerstin Kimel's house. The junior class dressed as characters from "The Little Rascals" movie. One player painted her face black as part of her Buckwheat costume.

A picture of the woman and the team's six other juniors was posted last week. The picture was changed Monday.

Kimel says some of the costume choices were insensitive and inappropriate and the team members should have realized how the pictures would be viewed. The team and coaches apologized for the photo.

Duke assistant sports information director Leslie Gaber said neither Kimel nor the player had any comments.

[ibjackiej]

Geez, are there people out there who just wait in the shadows to find something wrong with something. Why would the team or coach feel a need to apologize for nothing. They were having fun with the past. So what! You people who find fault with color should be cursed with blindness. People are like the rainbow, it has many colors. So be it. Some colors are more dominant than others. Some colors do and do not mix well with others. Some colors are bright, some not so bright. Colors like people come in a great variety. Who walks amoung us that says people can not have fun portraying other people of another color. Are those the people that are known as extreamists? Who gives them the right to demand or expect an apology for fun?

[gidlp]

Wow, how about that one? A black person can put white on their face and it is alright, but if a white puts black on theirs, man or man the world comes to an and.

[rubberrezi]

Get a life. Can't anyone dress up or express themselves anymore without being politically correct. This is one of the big problems with America now.

[TrueWatchman]

Your absolutely right. Nothing offensive about dressing up to pretend.