Police investigating ‘hate crimes’ against Utah have recording of racial slur

• N-word said to have been directed at team on street
• Incidents came during NCAA Tournament

Police investigating racist incidents directed toward the Utah women's basketball team last month during the NCAA Tournament say they have found an audio recording in which the use of a racial slur is clearly audible.

The Coeur d'Alene police department said in a Wednesday post on Facebook that it is looking at the context and conduct" to determine if there was a violation of law. Police said they are still reviewing evidence from the 21 March incidents, but it appears that a racial slur was used more than once.

Police said they've collected about 35 hours of video from businesses in the area, and that video and audio corroborates reports from members of the Utah basketball program. Police said detectives are working to locate any additional evidence and gather information on suspects. Detectives also are trying to identify a silver car that was in the area at the time.

After Utah's loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the tournament on 25 March, Utes coach Lynne Roberts said her team experienced a series of racial hate crimes" and were forced to change hotels due to safety concerns.