Cathedral Catholic High School in Carmel Valley apologized after members of its football team this week circulated racist photos directed at Lincoln High School in Southeast San Diego, Cathedral’s opponent in football last Friday.
A photo posted by by a Cathedral Catholic football player depicted someone wearing a shirt that read “Catholics versus Convicts.” Another showed several players mimicking gang signs with their hands.
Officials from both the school and the San Diego Diocese condemned the behavior.
RELATED: San Diego School Officials Say Few COVID-19 Cases Coming From Sports
“This is something that has to get addressed and really open a sincere and authentic dialogue,” said Kevin Eckery, spokesman for the San Diego Diocese. “There’s nothing here that’s unique. Go ask someone of color every day. There’s nothing here that was particularly unusual. The unusual thing is we were able to flag it, condemn it and hopefully do something about it.”
Cathedral Catholic issued an apology to the entire Lincoln High Community. However, Eckery declined to comment on what types of disciplinary action the students will face.
San Diego Unified School Board President Richard Barrera said this racist incident is unfortunately nothing new for Lincoln High.
“We appreciate the apology, but the early comments we’ve seen focus on the inappropriate actions of students, but there also has to be some examination at the institutional level,” Barrera said. “What kind of culture makes some students feel like this is an OK thing to do?”
RELATED: First Day Back At School A ‘Little Weird’ For Many San Diego Unified Students
Barrera said Lincoln High students and staff have invited their counterparts at Cathedral Catholic to the Lincoln campus to discuss the racist behavior. He hopes a silver lining from this incident is that the greater San Diego community learns about how accomplished Lincoln High School students are, both on the field and in the classroom.
