Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn alleges racist comments made by Illinois fans toward 13-year-old brother

Purdue is planning to file a report with the Big Ten Conference after racist comments were allegedly made by Illinois fans toward the 13-year-old brother of Boilermakers star Trey Kaufman-Renn on Friday night in Champaign, Illinois.

Kaufman-Renn said Friday night that he learned of the racist comments after the game by his mother and his girlfriend, who were sitting together alongside his brother, Jaylen. He said his mother and girlfriend were also subjected to inappropriate language after being seated near the Illini student section for the game.

“I was informed after the game by my mom and my girlfriend that there was some racist comments being said toward my brother, as well as my family being cussed out,” Kaufman-Renn said. “I just hope the security, especially at Illinois, can be better. I told them after the game that that’s something I would fight for. In no way am I saying anything about all Illinois fans, but unfortunately, the students that participated.”

Illinois issued a statement late Friday night saying it was made aware of the comments and is in the process of gathering information to determine next steps.

“Late in tonight’s game, Illinois staff was made aware of allegations of inappropriate comments made by members of the Orange Krush toward Purdue players, coaches and fans,” Illinois said in a statement. “We received additional details after the game’s conclusion. We take such allegations seriously, and we will continue gathering information to determine appropriate action. In the meantime, we have been in touch with Purdue to apologize and express our disappointment.”

Kaufman-Renn scored a game-high 29 points in Purdue’s eventual 88-80 loss.

He waited until after his media availability to discuss the incident and expressed frustration not only about the comments being directed toward his 13-year-old brother but also about the Big Ten’s security not being more forceful in its handling of the situation.

“The fact that my brother can be put in that situation is really unbelievable,” he said. “For a league like the Big Ten, they just need to be better about that.”

Kaufman-Renn leads Purdue in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage this season for a Boilermakers team that won 21 regular season games after losing Player of the Year Zach Edey to the NBA. They are a projected 4 seed in Jerry Palm’s latest bracket.