GSU Soccer Player Suspended For Racial Slur, Leaving School

ATLANTA, GA — A player on the Georgia State University women's soccer team who was suspended by the squad after apparently using a racial slur on social media is leaving the school.

Freshman Natalia Martinez was suspended after an online petition was started calling for the university to expel her over a post made on Instagram. On Monday, a university spokeswoman said Martinez "informed the Athletics Department she intends to withdraw from the university."

Later Monday afternoon, the spokeswoman confirmed that she had withdrawn.

In the comment from Martinez's account, a screenshot of which is posted on the petition, the writer uses a racial slur for black people. It's unclear from the context of the post whether it was intended as an insult.

The spokeswoman said GSU's dean of students has begun to look into the situation.

"Georgia State Athletics is aware of an incident on social media involving one of our student-athletes on Friday," the school's athletic department said in a post on social media. "We do not tolerate the language the student used in her post. Pursuant to our student-athlete code of conduct, she has been suspended from the soccer team."

Martinez's name was not listed on the team's online roster Monday morning.

In the petition, which had 555 signatures Monday afternoon, GSU student India Bridgeforth writes that the comment Martinez appears to have written does not reflect well on the school.

"As a progressive, diverse university, we GSU students feel like this sort of behavior should not be tolerated and that Natalia should be expelled from the university," she wrote. "Georgia State's mission statement states that we 'provide an outstanding education and exceptional support for students from all backgrounds,' and these Panther values are not concurrent with the very disturbing statements made publicly by the GSU freshman and soccer player."

According to her bio on the school's website, Martinez, a defender, played in four matches for the Panthers in 2017. She is a native of Elizabeth, N.J. and played high school soccer in Weston, Fla., according to the biography.

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