UMBC Lacrosse Players: 'We Let Our Emotions Get the Best of Us'

Four lacrosse players suspended from their UMBC team are speaking out after university officials and media outlets were informed of reportedly threatening text messages.

• UMBC Suspends 5 Lacrosse Players After Alleged Text Threats

“First and foremost, our hurtful, destructive words and tone are absolutely inexcusable on many levels,” the players said in a statement issued Tuesday.

In an alleged conversation using the GroupMe app, lacrosse players Mackenzie Reese, Amber Kovalick, Britanny Marquess, Meghan Milani and Alyssa Semones reportedly said of freshmen on the team, “Can we just kill them?” and provided descriptions of how they would harm the younger players.

“We know that everyone deserves to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect—we let our emotions get the best of us over time and we failed,” Reese, Kovalick, Milani and Semones said in a statement.

The family of Marquess, who was not part of the group apology, issued a statement to the team explaining that her issue was not with a group of players but with one specific person, The Baltimore Sun reported, related to an incident that happened on the field.

University officials are investigating the matter and have suspended the players from the team indefinitely.

The full text of the statement, which the Fallston Group sent to Bel Air Patch Tuesday morning on the suspended players’ behalf, is below:

“First and foremost, our hurtful, destructive words and tone are absolutely inexcusable on many levels. Our stance was utterly inappropriate and we are deeply sorry to the many we negatively impacted, particularly our hard-working teammates who deserve much better. Words cannot express our sense of regret and disappointment in ourselves. We know that everyone deserves to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect—we let our emotions get the best of us over time and we failed.

“While repeatedly asked to lend our perspective about the many elements which caused the UMBC women’s lacrosse situation to escalate, we have been, and continue to be, focused on working privately with university leadership to move forward. Our goal is to humbly work through this difficult situation with hopes of achieving an outcome that makes the best long-term sense for all involved. Thank you for respecting our decision to handle this matter internally at this time.”