During Saturday night’s Utah State win at Colorado State, a few members of the CSU student section were heard chanting “Russia” while Aggies guard Max Shulga was shooting free throws.
Shulga was born in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, and his family still lives there. He played for the Ukrainian Under-20 junior national team this past summer.
His response to the matter has been nothing short of admirable and a good reminder to us all how such things should be handled, even in the high-emotion, intense arena of live competition.
“While extremely upsetting in the moment, I also know how emotions can run high during competition and people can do and say things they do not really mean,” Shulga — the target of the taunts who has family in a war zone — wrote Sunday in a statement shared on social media.