Southern Methodist University says a communication breakdown caused the school’s volleyball team to pull the plug on a tribute planned this week for one of five police officers killed during a July 7 rampage in downtown Dallas.
SMU had invited the daughter of slain Dallas police officer Sgt. Michael Smith to serve the first ball at Saturday’s volleyball game, but rescinded the offer in a email sent to his widow Thursday.
“The volleyball program was not correctly informed that this would be taking place at the game, and feels that in light of recent events and diversity within the SMU community, that the demonstration could be deemed insensitive,” reads SMU’s email to Heidi Bradley Smith.
A “switch between staff members and the handling of volleyball promotions” had caused a breakdown in communication that resulted in the misunderstanding, SMU wrote in an email posted by Mrs. Smith on Facebook and shared more than 1,800 times since Thursday.
“To me, that was a cowardly way of saying the results of this election,” she told Dallas’ Fox 4 News on Friday. “I really feel like the decision was made out of fear of what evil might come of it instead of the good that could have come out of it.”
Frederick Frazier, interim president of the Dallas Police Association, said he was disappointed in the decision and expected SMU to apologize.
“It’s these statements and judgments that are what is tearing us apart. We are in a time of healing. This little girl was about to do something that was going to help that process,” he told Dallas Morning News.
“I don’t know who made the decision. I don’t really care who made the decision at SMU,” he added to the local Fox affiliate. “But the president at SMU needs to come out himself and call that little girl and tell her that this was a mistake and it was his fault and this will never happen again.”
SMU did apologize in a public statement Friday that said the incident doesn’t reflect the school’s values, and said it was still looking forward to the officer’s daughter, Victoria, conducting an honorary first serve at Saturday’s match. The Smith family isn’t interested, however, and said the teen won’t be in attendance.
“Victoria feels like the disrespect is already there,” Mrs. Smith told the Fox station. “And I think at her age, being 14, that’s just too much for her to deal with.”
“She was looking forward to it. It was something she was able to do,” she added to a local NBC affiliate. “There’s not a lot that’s been in her control.”
“I think it was handled very poorly,” Victoria Smith agreed. “I was infuriated.”
Sgt. Smith, 55, was one of five police officers killed when a lone gunman opened fire earlier this year at a protest in Dallas. The shooter, Micah Xavier Johnson, died during a subsequent standoff with law enforcement that ended with officers using a modified bomb disposal robot to kill the suspect.
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