College Football Teams Cancel Practice As Jacob Blake Protests Spread To Universities

Several college football programs canceled practice last week as teams imitated the protests of professional athletes in the NBA, NFL, and other leagues.

The football teams at Appalachian State, Baylor, Boston College, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Florida, Texas, Texas Tech, and Western Kentucky either canceled practices or staged player walkouts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, according to CBS Sports.

Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake seven times in the back on Aug. 23 after Blake had wrestled free of police officers and withstood a shot from a taser, according to police. Blake had opened the driver’s side front door of his vehicle and leaned inside when Sheskey opened fire. Investigators later found a knife on the floorboard of the driver’s seat.

Blake already had a warrant out for his arrest for a May 3 incident in which he allegedly broke into the house of a woman with whom he’d had a previous relationship, sexually assaulted her, and then stole her keys. Police were reportedly called on Blake for a domestic disturbance at the same woman’s house on Aug. 23. The shooting has likely left Blake crippled without the use of his legs after one of the bullets severed his spinal cord, according to Blake’s attorney.

At Texas Tech, the protest began with several players posting the same message across social media, asking others to join them, and for fans to respect the players’ decision.

“Rather than pretend these problems don’t exist and maintain a practice schedule that does not take into consideration the mental health issues derived from seeing our fellow citizens beaten and murdered in the streets on a daily basis, we will instead use this time to discuss these issues amongst ourselves and decide how best to move forward in a manner that will allow us to effectuate change here in Lubbock as well as the cities we call home,” several players said in a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday.

“We welcome our coaches, support staff and university administrators to engage in this process along with us. We know that many in Red Raider Nation will not understand or support these actions, however, we ask that you respect our right to peacefully protest with the same energy that you cheer for us during the season,” the statement continued.

The Texas Tech football players, with the support of head coach Matt Wells, did not practice Friday or Saturday, instead meeting at local parks to play with young fans and speak with others about race and registering to vote.

At Western Kentucky, head football coach Tyson Helton issued a statement after the team canceled practice for one day on Thursday.

“We had very constructive conversation among our player and coaches,” Helton said in a statement. “I made the decision to call off tonight’s practice so our current focus could remain on these issues. We will plan to get back on the field tomorrow and continue having these important conversations as a team going forward.”

Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley and his football players dressed in black and marched across the Oklahoma campus before Lincoln addressed media at the university’s unity garden. He also expressed support for Black Lives Matter on Twitter.

#Sooners pic.twitter.com/cW0VoJnZn3

— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) August 28, 2020

#BlackLivesMatter | #Unity pic.twitter.com/J7q5Qy8tws

— Lincoln Riley (@LincolnRiley) August 28, 2020

The college protests were inspired by others that took place across professional sports leagues last week. A number of NFL players and teams have made statements denouncing “systemic racism” in the United States and calling the country’s founding “racist.”

“There’s a systemic problem, and until the problem is fixed, this is going to be an all-too-common sighting in this country,” Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers said, referring to the Blake shooting.

“This is bigger than sports. Racism is embedded in the fabric of our nation’s foundation and is a blemish on our country’s history,” the Baltimore Ravens said in a statement. “If we are to change course and make our world a better place, we must face this problem head-on and act now to enact positive change.”

“This country was founded upon racist ideas with slavery brought here from the day of foundation. And those ideas have persisted throughout the last hundreds of years. It’s gonna take time until we can get those all out. But we’re tired of it,” Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said in a video surrounded by his teammates.