Inter Miami wins, says D.C. United player used racial slur
As D.C. United prepares to play against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday in the MLS Eastern Conference semifinals, a controversial incident involving the team’s newest signing has been dominating the news.
D.C. United midfielder and U.S. youth international Patrick Mullins was sent to the bench by D.C. head coach Ben Olsen when he heard a racial slur directed toward him during the Red Bulls’ game on Wednesday.
According to a report from The Washington Post, Mullins’ alleged exchange had come during a post-game melee between members of the opposing teams. D.C. United, a charter club from the District, was celebrating their victory over the Red Bulls after defeating them 2-1.
When Olsen sent Mullins to the bench, he said, he heard Mullins tell his teammate, Chris Pontius, that he should “go back to Africa,” using the word “F*ck.” Pontius went over to address Mullins, who was sitting on the sidelines, but found him to be unwilling to respond.
Pontius told The Post, “It’s the way he said it. It’s probably the way he said it. There’s no reason for him to say it like that in public.”
Pontius also explained that he is Jewish, and believed that Mullins’ use of a racial slur could be construed as anti-Semitic or, at the least, insensitive.
Pontius went on to say, “Obviously, from where I am from, from where I’m from, everybody is just as much a human being and we’re all going to have a very different opinion of what it means to say ‘f*ck.’ And I don’t believe in this type of language.”
Pontius continued, “This type of language doesn’t belong on a club team. And everybody, myself included, had to put a stop to it.”
Pontius also told the