Exclusive: Student who withdrew from Iona Prep over racist remark shares his story

News 12 spoke exclusively to a student who withdrew from Iona Preparatory after he says an administrator made racist remarks against him.

News 12 Staff

Nov 23, 2021, 5:58 PM

Updated 1,054 days ago

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News 12 spoke exclusively to a student who withdrew from Iona Preparatory after he says an administrator made racist remarks against him.
Students at the school walked out of class in New Rochelle Tuesday after the administrator allegedly made the racist remarks to the Black student.
Students tell News 12 that they were informed during Tuesday morning's Mass that the administrator involved in the incident had resigned.
Former Iona Prep star baseball player Tony Humphrey says the administrator made the comments to him on the track.
"He comes up to me and says, 'I thought you were already fast as it is.' And I said 'Oh, I am decently fast,' and he says, 'Oh, how did you get so fast?' He goes, 'Running from the cops?' It just came out like that," says Humphrey.
Humphrey says it was the school's assistant director of athletics, Bernard Mahoney, who made the comment.
Iona Prep administrators did not confirm his identity but did say the school employee has since resigned.
Humphrey says the incident is just the tip of the iceberg.
In June of 2020, News 12 spoke to four graduating Iona Prep football players after a fellow player posted a racist comment on Snapchat.
Iona Prep's administration says they do not condone the latest comment.
The school's president apologized to Humphrey and acknowledged there is more work to be done, adding in a statement, "We remain fully committed to being an open, welcoming, embracing and nurturing community, where every young man holds a special place in the brotherhood of Iona men."