Twenty-seven Tufts men’s lacrosse players will be suspended for the first two games of their upcoming season for “unacceptable behavior,” including drinking and yelling sexist and racist insults at the Smith women’s volleyball team at a Tufts women’s volleyball game last semester.

Tufts’ Office of Equal Opportunity began investigating the matter after a student alleged that the lacrosse players had been threatening and insulting Smith players during the Sept. 21 game. According to Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Students John Barker, some of the players were intoxicated at the game, including some who were underage.

“The investigation confirmed that some Tufts students behaved highly inappropriately and in a manner not consistent with the values of good sportsmanship held by Tufts or NESCAC,” Barker told the Tufts Daily in an e-mail. “Specifically, Tufts found that a group of students from the men’s lacrosse team repeatedly made offensive and demeaning comments about players in the game and/or encouraged other team members in such misconduct.”

“Clearly, this is a regrettable event and situation,” said men’s lacrosse coach Mike Daly. “Our team is moving forward at this point, using this unfortunate event as a learning and growing experience.”

According to the Daily, Daly did not comment on how benching 27 players for the first two games would affect the team’s season.