Georgia State soccer player suspended over racial slur used on social media

A Georgia State University soccer player was suspended from the team after she used a racial epithet on social media, school officials said.

Freshman defender Natalia Martinez’s name was stripped from the team’s online roster after the epithet appeared on her Finsta page, a secret version of Instagram that is growing in popularity among teens.

“We do not tolerate the language the student used in her post,” the university said in a statement.

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Associate athletic director Mike Holmes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that officials were made aware of Martinez’s post Friday morning.

“We are handling the matter internally at the present time,” he said.

According to an online bio, Martinez is from Weston, Florida. Some Georgia State students are petitioning for her expulsion.

“As a progressive, diverse university, we ... feel like this sort of behavior should not be tolerated,” said India Bridgeforth, who created the petition, which already has more than 500 signatures.

Cox Media Group