Purdue basketball star accuses rival student section of using racist language toward his brother

The final regular season basketball game for the Purdue Boilermakers ended on a sour note for one star player on the team after he says his family was subjected to racial abuse.

Purdue junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn made a statement after Friday night’s game against the Illinois Fighting Illini, saying that his 13-year-old brother had racist language hurled at him by the Illinois student section – dubbed the ‘Orange Krush’.

While students make the State Farm Arena in Champaign raucous, the language was a step too far and led to an apology from the university.

‘I was informed after the game by my mom and my girlfriend that there were some racist comments being said toward my brother, as well as my family being cussed out, stuff like that,’ Kaufman-Renn said, unprompted, to the media.

‘I just hope the security, especially at Illinois, can be better. I told them after the game that that’s something I would fight over.

‘In no way am I saying anything about all Illinois fans but, unfortunately, the students that participated.’ 

After he revealed his comments, the University of Illinois released a statement of their own.

‘Late in tonight’s game, Illinois staff was made aware of allegations of inappropriate comments made by members of the Orange Krush toward Purdue players, coaches, and fans,’ the school said.

‘We received additional details after the game’s conclusion. We take such allegations seriously, and we will continue gathering information to determine appropriate action.

‘In the meantime, we have been in touch with Purdue to apologize and express our disappointment.’ 

Kaufman-Renn said he never experienced anything to the ‘extent’ of the events he was told about in his three-years in West Lafayette. ‘The fact that my brother can be put in that situation is really unbelievable,’ he said. ‘For a league like the Big Ten, they just need to be better about that.’

For years, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had the mascot ‘Fighting Illini’ as a reference to the Illinois Confederation of indigenous people. Since the mid-2000s, the name has been kept as a reference to the state and not the people themselves.

Illinois also used the mascot of ‘Chief Illiniwek’ from 1926 until ‘retiring’ the mascot in February of 2007. The usage of the chief in logos and at sporting events had been considered controversial since the 1970s as people believed it perpetuated racist stereotypes of indigenous people.

Among some Illinois fans, the chief remains an enduring symbol of the school and its sports teams and many petitions have tried bringing him back. 

Last month, the Illinois student body overwhelmingly voted in favor of adopting the belted kingfisher – a bird with blue and orange colors that is native to the state – as a new mascot.

The 18th-ranked Boilermakers fell to Illinois 88-80, bringing their mark to 21-10 on the season.

Kaufman-Renn led Purdue with 29 points and seven rebounds. Forward Will Riley led the Fighting Illini with 22 points while shooting 50 percent from the field.

Both teams are expected to easily make March Madness. Before then, they’ll each travel to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament this coming week.