First Clemson. Now South Carolina? Alshon Jeffrey Pushing For Name Changes

After two weeks of turmoil at Clemson regarding some of the buildings on campus being named after former slave owners, the controversy has made its way to Columbia as former South Carolina players are calling for the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center to be renamed.

In the aftermath of the George Floyd tragedy, professional and college athletes from coast to coast have started using their platforms more aggressively in an effort to spark change concerning race relations in the United States.

Former football players at Clemson, Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins, were instrumental in what ultimately led to the decision by the school's board of trustees voting unanimously to rename two buildings on the Clemson campus last week.

This came after a tumultuous two weeks on the Clemson campus filled with racial tensions, mostly centered around the football program. 

Similar circumstances are now starting to play out in Columbia, as former South Carolina football player Alshon Jeffrey recently took to Twitter to push the school to rename the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center.

“To celebrate well known segregationist Strom Thurmond’s legacy by keeping his name on our Wellness Center sends a contradicting message to our black students @UofSC. We can no longer be held back by those whose ideals represent division. We must continue the fight for equality.”- Alshon Jeffrey

Following Jeffrey's tweets, which also included retweeting an online petition, former Gamecock running back Marcus Lattimore took to Twitter himself, echoing Jeffrey's sentiments. 

Several other former Gamecock players have now voiced their support for the change as well, including Mike Davis, Shaq Wilson, Justice Cunningham, Sindarius Thornwell and many others. 

As of Thursday afternoon, the online petition had accumulated more than 15,000 signatures.

However, on Thursday afternoon, The State is reporting that despite the pleas, the board at South Carolina will not consider renaming the building. 

Thurmond has a controversial past regarding racial issues, as he served in the South Carolina Senate for almost five decades. He even attempted to run for President in 1948 on a platform that opposed integration, and was also opposed to the Civil Rights Act in 1964. 

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, and how much push back, if any, the administration at South Carolina gets from the former athletes after refusing to change the name.