Junior Flemmings Put on Leave by USL's Phoenix Rising After Alleged Gay Slur

Phoenix Rising of the USL Championship announced Thursday night that they placed player Junior Flemmings on administrative leave after he allegedly used a gay slur toward Collin Martin of the San Diego Loyal on Wednesday.

The club announced that it has launched an investigation into the allegation and that head coach Rick Schantz has also been placed on leave for an unrelated reason:

Per ESPN, the Loyal refused to continue the match after half time, having discussed the alleged slur against Martin. The players went back onto the field and took a knee before walking back off, resulting in a forfeit.

SportsCenter's Twitter account posted video of Schantz and Loyal co-owner and manager Landon Donovan discussing the incident with match officials. During the video, Donovan said his team would likely walk off unless the officials or Schantz removed Flemmings from the contest:

Martin, who is openly gay, discussed the matter in a statement that included the slur Flemmings allegedly used:

The USL also released a statement:

"We are aware of the alleged use of a homophobic slur in tonight's match between San Diego Loyal SC and Phoenix Rising FC. Foul and abusive language of any type has absolutely no place in our society and will not be tolerated in USL matches. An investigation is currently underway to determine the facts surrounding the incident and more information will be provided as soon as it is available."

Martin is a 25-year-old midfielder who played his college soccer at Wake Forest and began his professional career with D.C. United in MLS. He came out as gay in 2018 while playing for Minnesota United in MLS.

Flemmings is a 24-year-old midfielder and native of Jamaica. He has spent time with multiple USL clubs and has made 10 appearances for the Jamaican national team.