UCLA gymnasts say coaches told them to be more tolerant after accusing a teammate of using the N-word

• A UCLA first-year gymnast was accused of using the N-word and other racial slurs.
• After teammates confronted her, they went to coaches who told them to be more tolerant.

The UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics program has been outspoken on issues of racial injustice since the death of George Floyd nationwide reckoning that followed.

But when accusations of racism within the program created a schism, those in positions of authority were accused of being less willing to act.

Several UCLA gymnasts accused one of their then-teammates — Alexis Jeffrey — of using racial slurs, including the N-word and epithets against Asian people, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Jeffrey denied any wrongdoing when fellow Bruins confronted the first-year athlete to explain why her use of that language was hurtful, several team members told the LA Times.

According to the report, those same student-athletes then brought the issue to the attention of UCLA gymnastics coaches and representatives of the Bruins' athletics department. The team was then subjected to programming featuring racism and mental health experts.

But some of the gymnasts on the team — particularly those who are Black — did not feel the administration's actions were sufficient.

"It seemed like these were things put in place to check off boxes," senior Margzetta Frazier told the LA Times. "It was performative, and it did not do anything."

"I know for a fact that myself and my Black teammates suffered greatly," she added. "We haven't had training — I would say that for the whole team — we have not had correct training for three months because of the emotional despair and the lack of trust between the gymnasts and the staff."

The gymnasts also told the LA Times that the programming had not gone far enough to specifically address the racism impacting the team.

They also accused UCLA's coaches of encouraging them to be more tolerant and supportive of their new teammate because they feared Jeffrey was struggling with her mental health. According to the Daily Bruin, Jeffrey had threatened to harm herself after her teammates confronted her, and the coaching staff suggested that she may be "scared" or "intimidated" by her Black teammates.

Even though Jeffrey has since transferred to LSU, the situation devolved further. As of Wednesday, at least one team member has called for head coach Chris Waller to lose his job.

"I want the head coach gone," Frazier said on comedian Amanda Seales' podcast, "Small Doses with Amanda Seales." "I want a statement put out about us, protecting the girls."

After meeting with each gymnast this week, UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond issued a statement that fell flat to Frazier and others in her camp:

—UCLA Athletics (@UCLAAthletics) January 25, 2022

She told the LA Times that Jarmond's takeaways from his meeting with the team were "discouraging" and that his statement indicated that the gymnasts' concerns "were neglected and brushed under the rug."

Jarmond's response further underscored the motivation behind the Bruins' collective refusal to wear their "Black excellence" leotards during a meet on Martin Luther King Day.

"To me, for quite some time, it felt performative," Frazier said of the leotards on Seales' podcast. "None of the Black girls feel respected or comfortable. Or any of the girls of color. None of them."

"We all feel unsafe and scared."

Representatives for UCLA Athletics declined Insider's request for comment.