MUNCIE, Ind. — For Lem Turner, what started as a level of distrust later turned into disappointment and finally disgust, not just with some within the Ball State men’s volleyball program and BSU Athletics administration but volleyball itself.
In a report published last week by Off the Block, a website that focuses on collegiate men’s volleyball, Turner and Julian Welsh-White spoke about instances of racism — some of which happened more than five years ago — that occurred during their time playing for BSU as Black athletes. Turner, who played for the Cardinals from 2016-19, said head coach Joel Walton used the n-word his freshman year in a team meeting when talking about what music he didn’t want to hear played in the locker room.