Massachusetts is commonly revered as highly liberal state, but racism and other misguided social standards lurk in every nook and cranny of the country. No matter how tolerant and accepting the state, or even the country, minorities are still treated with disrespect and ignorance.

A Massachusetts high school football team from Lunenburg canceled the remainder of its season after someone wrote a racial slur on a player’s home, CNN reports. School officials canceled last Friday’s game and have decided to forfeit their two remaining games, including the traditional Thanksgiving Day game. The team ended its season 4-6.

The perpetrator spray painted the message, "Knights don't need n------," in large blue letters on the foundation of the 13-year-old fullback’s ranch-style home. The incident caught the eye of the FBI, bringing an influx of media attention to the small town of about 10,000 people.

“I don’t really understand why someone would even do something like this,” the player said. “I have two younger brothers and a younger sister. This is our house, this is where we live. Eventually they’re going to see it.” The boy added that he’d been the target of additional harassment in the week’s prior to the incident. In an act of youthful irony, the bullies even slashed his bicycle tires.

“We wish to express our outrage and sorrow over the hateful and vile acts against one of our own,” the Lunenburg School Committee said in a press release. We assure you and our entire community that we will continue to work to ensure that hate has no place in our schools.”

“It would be highly inappropriate to play the remaining games while there is an ongoing investigation,” the committee said, adding that it decided to forfeit the games out of safety concerns and the crippling emotions surrounding the incident.

Even today, in a country whose Civil Rights Movement has made exponential leaps and bounds throughout the past century, racism’s reach is inescapable.