A NAIA school in Virginia lost its men’s basketball game on Thursday after suspending players for kneeling during the national anthem in several games in January and February.
In a statement on Thursday, President of Bluefield College, David Olive, said that after the players knelt during several games in January and February, even after telling them to stop, he decided to suspend all athletes involved, which resulted in the loss of the Appalachian Athletic Conference’s Division II NAIA Match against Reinhardt.
“The basis for my decision came from my own awareness of how kneeling is seen by some in our country, and I didn’t think that several of our former students, friends and donors from the College would see the act of kneeling during the hymn. in a positive way, “said Olive.
In the statement, Olive, who is white, reported an ongoing discussion with coaches, players and the school’s athletic director, Tonia Walker, who is black, kneeling during the hymn, but the suspensions were made only after news broke in the media. last week.
Olive said she learned on February 1 that the players knelt during the game’s anthem at their previous home and later learned that the same thing had happened in two previous street games. At that point, he informed coach Richard Morgan that kneeling during the hymn would not be tolerated.
This is in direct contrast to what the basketball team heard before the season, according to Bluefield football player Jewels Gray, who is close to many members of the basketball team and discussed the suspensions with the players. Gray said basketball players were told they were not allowed to issue a statement or speak to the media.
“Why would our school contradict what they said?” Gray said. “We had meetings before the season with [the athletic director] and the president, and they said we can get on our knees and they’ll support us and stay 100% behind us ”.
The players again knelt during the anthem before the February 2 game, ignoring the order. For the next match, on February 4, Morgan kept the team in the locker room during the anthem to avoid further controversy.
Olive said she contacted Morgan and team members to discuss the protests, saying she understood his message and supported calls for racial justice – but she did not tolerate this during the national anthem.
“I also told them that their intended message to raise awareness about racial injustices was being diluted or completely lost because some saw their kneeling as a disrespect to the flag, our country and our veterans,” Olive said in the statement. . “In my opinion, their message was not being heard.”
Olive said the players said they had no intention of being disrespectful and shared personal stories of the racism they faced. In response, Olive said the campus leadership team is currently working on a forum to discuss racial inequality.
In the team’s next game, on February 6, the team remained in the locker room again, but on the 8th a local TV station showed video of players kneeling as part of a report. The next day, Olive said the school issued a statement, which included comments from players, responding to “erroneous and sometimes defamatory information being shared about our student athletes and the college”.
That night, however, the players again knelt to hear the anthem before Bluefield’s home game against Tennessee Wesleyan. After the game, Olive informed Morgan that there would be “consequences”.
“Needless to say, this was a challenging process for all parties involved,” said Olive in her statement. “I heard and understand our players’ perspective on why they want to kneel during the National Anthem. I also know that this form of protest immediately prevents several people from hearing the intended message because of their perspective on the flag. no individual’s sincere motives are inherently wrong. But I continue to say that we will not get where we want to and WE MUST get there as a country by addressing these racial issues without making honest attempts to create paths that bring people in common together. “
Gray suggested that recent media reports have angered at least one influential donor, prompting Olive to issue the suspensions.
Olive said in his statement that the players asked about the violation of their First Amendment rights, and he informed the players that those rights did not apply in this situation.
Athletes from the men’s and women’s basketball team, soccer team and women’s soccer team participated in a video conference this week, Gray said, arguing that their First Amendment rights were violated and discussing ways to approach school policy.
“We are a private, non-governmental entity,” Olive said in his statement. “We have policies and guidelines throughout the student manual and in the academic catalog that limit certain rights that you could have elsewhere, such as at home or in a public place. Most importantly for me in this regard, however, that’s what I shared earlier. When someone wears a uniform or is performing a role on behalf of Bluefield College, that person is now representing Bluefield College. Increased expectations are now placed on that individual as to what he can or cannot do do or say as a representative of the College. “
Following the suspensions, Gray decided to support basketball players by organizing a stoppage during football training. Bluefield is playing a spring semester program because of COVID-19, and with a game scheduled for Saturday, his coach hoped to avoid a serious interruption in training. Gray agreed that he would be the only player to leave, leaving others who agreed to protest to stay and practice.
Gray then posted a photo of his protest on Twitter, which was retweeted by several members of the Bluefield basketball team.
Today I defended what I believe in and protested peacefully against social injustice during my football training. Color inequality has occurred on my college campus and within my community against student athletes recently and this is wrong.
I hope to have support for tweeting ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/FrayzzrAH3– Jewels Gray (@ 15_toetap) February 11, 2021
“I didn’t think the football team should practice when the basketball team can’t play, just because they stood up for what they believe in,” said Gray. “I protested the practice peacefully, but I didn’t ask anyone to leave the practice with me. I got up before [the team prayer] and spoke and let them know what was going on. I know that we all have a goal. “
Gray’s teammate Collin O’Donnell, who is a military veteran, made a statement from the entire football team on Thursday.
“In recent days, sports at Bluefield College have been put in the spotlight in our locality, both for kneeling during the national anthem and for the subsequent decisions made after it,” wrote O’Donnell. “As a football team, we cannot be blind or deaf to the social issues in our country and the deep divide that we face collectively when facing them. This week we talked to our team and expressed that, despite external forces or conflicting opinions, we remain a unit, indivisible One of the hallmarks of our constitutional republic is our right to the first amendment, this ability to peacefully maintain different beliefs and opinions while living our truth is what makes us unique and separates us from those in our world who look to silence others on issues they are uncomfortable to face.
“As a team, we are focused and dedicated to each other. We strive every season to make real and positive changes in our community. Whether we agree or disagree with the way we express our concerns … when we step on the field we are a unit, a family and we believe in each other ”.
In the school’s 2019 census, almost 84% of the student population identified themselves as white, while just over 10% were black.
“Most student-athletes here are African-Americans,” said Gray, “but the city and the community – if you look at the comments [O’Donnell] is getting on Facebook, people are putting it so badly. All kinds of ugly comments. The city and community at Bluefield College really have a lot of people who need to open up to it. I am not saying that they have hate in their hearts, but I feel that they need to be open to what is happening. “