D.C. United suspends two players over alleged racial slur, altercation

On the same day its trainer was fired for displaying a racist hand gesture, D.C. United suspended a pair of forwards — Taxi Fountas and Nigel Robertha — over an incident in which the former was reportedly accused of directing a racial slur at the latter.

According to The Athletic, Fountas — who was accused of using a slur in a match last season — directed such language at Robertha in a recent training session.

Robertha reportedly responded by physically assaulting Fountas.

Last season’s accusation against Fountas, who played for Inter Miami at the time, was deemed “credible” by MLS.

However, he was not punished, as the league could not conclusively prove he used a slur.

In D.C. United’s announcement, it cited “possible violations of league policy” by both players, adding that the club “promptly reported the matter to the League Office, at which point MLS began to gather all available information.”

Reade Whitney, the team’s athletic trainer, was fired earlier in the day Friday for displaying the “OK” sign in a staff photo at an MLS All-Star Game training session, according to the Washington Post.

The gesture has been linked to white supremacists and listed as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League despite its benign history.

“D.C. United have terminated the employment of the club’s athletic trainer effective immediately,” the club said in a statement, per the Washington Post. “This termination is the result of an internal review following the discovery of a discriminatory hand gesture made by the individual that surfaced in a photograph published across social media platforms on July 20, 2023.

“There is no place for racism, homophobia, misogyny or discrimination of any kind in our sport and world and D.C. United do not tolerate any acts of this nature.”