LTHS Heard No Slurs At Hinsdale Central Game: School

LA GRANGE, IL – Players and coaches for Lyons Township High School's baseball team heard no racial slurs during an April game, despite a complaint to the contrary, the school said Monday.

On Friday, Hinsdale Central High School's principal said the school investigated a complaint that a Hinsdale Central player repeatedly called an African American player from Lyons Township the N-word and "boy." No evidence was found to support the allegations, the principal said.

In response to a public records request, Lyons Township on Monday released a statement about its end of the investigation. It said Central's athletic director, Dan Jones, informed his Lyons Township counterpart, John Grundke, about the alleged slurs. Grundke was informed that either Central's players or spectators may have uttered the slurs, according to the statement.

Grundke asked Lyons Township's head baseball coach, Kevin Diete, to investigate. Diete said he heard no racist remarks from anyone, but said he would check with the players and assistant coach Ryan Malloy, who was the nearest to Central's dugout and spectators, the school said.

Malloy and Lyons Township players reported they heard no such comments.

Both Hinsdale Central's head coach and pitching coaches said the slurs did not occur. They said they would have taken such comments seriously and removed those who made such slurs.

In a statement late last month, Hinsdale Central said it was investigating the allegations. The complaint appeared in Hinsdale High School District 86's online public records log more than three weeks ago.

Some District 86 residents have questioned whether the school should have released the complaint.