Suburban football player says racist comments from teammates forced him to quit Aurora University

Suburban football player says racist comments from teammates forced him to quit Aurora University

An 18-year-old football player said racist comments from teammates made him quit Aurora University.

CHICAGO - An 18-year-old football player said racist comments from teammates made him quit Aurora University.

Brook Williams said the harassment began only a few weeks after the semester started.

What we know:

"They called me the N-word," Brook said. "Then one of them said, ‘Don’t you guys sleep in trees?’"

He said another player made a joke about George Floyd, which was when he began to feel scared. When it happened, Brook says he was the only Black player staying in his teammates’ off-campus house after practice to avoid the long drive home to Plainfield.

He said he chose Aurora because it felt safe and was close to home. His family lives in Plainfield, about 30 minutes away.

When he told his mother what was happening, she said she couldn’t stay quiet.

"I emailed the president, the vice president, the coach—every day. They didn’t answer me," said his mother, Aisha Williams.

The school launched an investigation.

Documents reviewed by FOX 32 show two players created a hostile environment based on race.

At first, the players were suspended and placed on probation for the rest of the year, but they were still allowed to play during the investigation.

After their parents hired lawyers and appealed, Aurora University reduced the punishment. The players were required to complete racial sensitivity training and were allowed to return to the team in January.

Aisha Williams said she and her family met with the coach and a school administrator. She said the coach told them, "I used to be in the NFL. I had Black friends. We told racist jokes." He also compared forgiveness for the players to "how Jesus forgave David for being a murderer."

Brook said that after that meeting, the coach stopped speaking to him and ignored his plays during film sessions.

Soon after, his football gear—including pads, gloves and towels—went missing. Two weeks later, a friend sent him photos showing the items had been returned to his locker.

By then, Brook had already decided to leave the school. He withdrew from Aurora on Sept. 8 and lost his $60,000 scholarship.

"It hurt," he said. "I worked hard for this. Now I’m stuck working again until I can go somewhere new."

Aurora University has faced racism before.

A 1987 Chicago Tribune article reported that students found "KKK" and other racist messages written on campus walls. Black students told the paper they didn’t feel safe even then.

Aisha said that history is still visible today.

"Some of his white teammates told us they were scared to say anything," she said. "That’s why they didn’t speak up for him. What we allow will keep happening."

The FBI reports that race remains the most common motivation for hate crimes in the United States, with more than 11,000 incidents reported last year.

What they're saying:

Aurora University issued the following statement to FOX 32:

"Aurora University is deeply committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive community where every student feels valued and supported. We are aware of a social media post regarding a former student-athlete and allegations of harassment. We take all reports such as these extremely seriously.

"While federal law prevents the university from sharing details about specific student or employee matters, including internal investigations or outcomes, the university follows established policies and procedures when reviewing and evaluating reports such as these to ensure an expeditious and thorough review. Every report is carefully reviewed and investigated in accordance with these policies, and appropriate and responsive action is taken whenever policy violations are found."

What's next:

Brook said he still hopes to play college football and plans to transfer by January.

His family says they want Aurora University to take real action, so no other student experiences what he did.

"I just wanted to play football," Brook said.