Pac-12 supports any form of peaceful protest by its athletes
There are many issues that our country is currently facing, with none bigger than how we will come together as one and strive for a better tomorrow.
The racial injustice that has recently occurred with the senseless death of George Floyd, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, has everyone in the nation either out protesting or on the edge of their seats at home taking it all in.
The University of Utah has joined multiple colleges throughout the country in not remaining silent on the subject. Rather, they've expressed their concern and support and have come together as a family to deliver one message; The University of Utah will stand against any form of racism.
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan has been one of the most outspoken figures from the University, tweeting "SLC is not immune to the hopelessness & fear of the underrepresented communities. As a leader, I need to do more, everyday, to be more aware & act on their behalf. I strongly urge all to protest peacefully & avoid the violence we are seeing. Causing more pain is not the path."
He is not only expressing his support of the peaceful protest and racial injustice in the nation, but reaching out to the athletes as well.
Joining Harlan in releasing statements were basketball coaches Larry Krystkowiak and Lynne Roberts and much of the football staff, including head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Colin Kaepernick started a movement by taking a knee during the national anthem, a move that was met with ridicule from even the highest of powers, including President Trump. But Kaepernick refused to give up and was effectively banned from the NFL despite his skillset.
Now as sports are nearing a return, both professionally and collegiately, athletic figures have been openly discussing about peacefully protesting prior to the start of games. Many of them have been wondering aloud if they're going to take a knee during the national anthem, not only in honor of Kaepernick but also as a way to protest police brutality and racial injustice in America.
With those protests being a possibility coming this fall, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott issued a statement on Tuesday through a spokesperson about how the conference will handle any peaceful protests such as kneeling during the national anthem.
Scott said...
“The Pac-12 fully supports our student-athletes’ right to freedom of expression and right to peaceful protest. These rights are in the DNA of our universities, and now more than ever it is important to support our student-athletes as they look for ways to play an active role in fighting for social injustice and against racism.”
With the Pac-12 supporting the rights of the athletes to peacefully protest, it's now up to the individual players to do so.
As of now, no Utah athlete has specifically made it known that they intend to take a kneel during the anthem or participate in some sort of peaceful protest. College football players are typically still in the locker room during the playing of the national anthem, making any form of protest more difficult if players chose to do so.
However, that's not necessarily the case for other sports as both men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and other sports are present for the national anthem.
Either way, the athletes have the support of Scott and the Pac-12 for whatever road they chose to go down.