University: Cheerleaders who knelt for anthem will be allowed back on field

ATLANTA — A Georgia university which moved its football cheerleaders inside a stadium tunnel after a group of black cheer squad members knelt during the national anthem has decided to let them again take the field during pregame ceremonies.

This time, it will be at a game where military members are honored.

In a letter to students and faculty, Kennesaw State University President Sam Olens said Wednesday that freedom of speech must be protected.

Olens added that the cheer squad will be allowed on field before the national anthem at the game Saturday, which is Military Appreciation Day at the public university near Atlanta.

Five cheerleaders had taken a knee during the anthem to protest U.S. racial inequality at a Sept. 30 game, prompting a barrage of emails and calls from furious school boosters and alumni. They said they took their action after seeing similar protests by some NFL players.

University officials subsequently announced the cheer squad would be moved off the field before kickoff as part of several changes designed to enhance the game-day atmosphere.

The reversal announced Wednesday marks a return to the original pregame ritual of cheerleaders being on field during the singing of the anthem.

“I will stand during the National Anthem to honor the women and men who have served in our nation’s armed forces,” Olens wrote. “While I choose this action, I do not believe that this debate has to be a choice between honoring our veterans and protecting the freedom of speech. We must be able to do both.”

The president’s announcement three days before the upcoming game was intentional, said Davante Lewis, the brother of one of the protesting cheerleaders who has acted as a spokesman for the group.

Lewis said he expects them to kneel as they’ve done in several games already, but there will be far more pressure on them Saturday since the stadium will be full of military service people and veterans for the game against Charleston Southern University.

“The amount of pressure now on them is increased and I think that’s what he wanted to do,” Lewis said.