Uproar after UNLV Rebellion accused of posting racist photo

A promotional photo for UNLV’s basketball game Wednesday night is being called offensive by many for its depiction of a black New Mexico Lobos player being led on a leash by the Rebels’ mascot, Hey Reb!

Representatives of UNLV’s student section said Tuesday that the photo, which was circulating on social media and being credited by many to UNLV, was not endorsed or posted by anyone officially affiliated with the Rebellion.

“We did not post nor endorse the photo of the African-American player,” a representative of the Rebellion said. “Regardless of the race of the player, no racial intentions were implied by anybody associated with The Rebellion.

“A Lobo is a canine. Hence the leash. We own them in basketball. Therefore, we are walking our dog,” the statement continued.

Zack Peters, the fan who created the photos featuring the Lobos’ former player Jamal Fenton and Cameron Bairstow, told the Review-Journal on Tuesday that the photos were not meant to be racist.

“[I] discussed the image prior to release with dozens of (people),” he said on Twitter. “Fans, alum, and friends. Race implication not brought to my attention until after I posted it on twitter.”

The photo started to gain steam after Black Sports Online posted a story crediting it to the UNLV Rebellion.

“For some reason, the UNLV Rebellion thought it would be a good idea to use this photo to promote their game (against) New Mexico State,” reporter Greg Smith wrote. UNLV plays the University of New Mexico on Wednesday.

Smith was later told on Twitter that the Rebellion was not responsible for posting the photo and apologized for the misconception.

“UNLV Rebellion posted a different photo of a white player on a leash,” he told the RJ. “My mistake was thinking that they posted them both but had deleted the original with a black player.”

Peters said after the feedback he received on Twitter, he advised the Rebellion to use the photo with Bairstow.

Peters said not recognizing the racial implications of the photo was a mistake, but said people should not be offended by the image showing a player of any race on a leash.

“If a player on a leash bothers you or players they haven’t been to enough sporting events,” he said.

Contact Stephanie Grimes at sgrimes@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @steph_grimes