Iona Prep Star Departs, Students Protest Racially Charged Remark

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A star athlete has withdrawn from his school and students walked out of classes in protest of racist comments reportedly directed at the high school junior by a member of the faculty.

Tony Humphrey, a 16-year-old baseball standout, said he has withdrawn from Iona Prep. The high school junior, who has already committed to play for Boston College after graduation, said the move came after a troubling interaction with an assistant athletic director at the school.

"He comes up to me and asked why was I doing track," Humphrey told New York City's PIX 11 News. "It never hurts to gain speed, but he said [Humphrey] gained that speed by running from the police."

In a letter to students and parents, Iona Prep said that the administrator involved has since resigned.

"Such comments go against the very mission of the school to develop moral and ethical leaders," the letter from the school read in part. "It is behavior that Iona Preparatory does not condone for its students and will not accept from its faculty and staff."

Humphrey, however, told the television station that the incident was not an isolated incident. He said that when he brought previous incidents of bigoted behavior to the attention of school officials, his concerns were largely ignored.

Students at the high school staged a brief walkout on Tuesday in response to the allegations of racism, according to the Journal News. Images of the demonstration show that dozens of students participated in the silent protest.