VOICES OF CHANGE
College football players showing there’s more to them than many might have thought
Dumb jocks?
Lucky to be there?
Shut up and play?
Oh, please. Three times.
College football players are showing far too much leadership lately for those dismissive, demeaning narratives to hold up.
Those narratives are being exposed as the trash they are.
Think there isn’t more than meets the eye to these big men on campus who — in more normal times, anyway — put 80,000 butts in the seats on fall Saturdays? Think again. Pass it on. While you’re at it, feel free to admit you were wrong.
Take Florida State senior Marvin Wilson, who is more than the ‘‘6-5, 310’’ that accompanies his name, the No. 21 on his jersey and the No. 1 ranking among defensive tackle prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft. He also had the character and guts to call BS on his coach.
In early June, new Seminoles coach Mike Norvell told The Athletic he had spoken individually with each of his players as Black Lives Matter protests were roiling in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. Wilson, a 2019 team captain, tweeted that it was a ‘‘lie’’ and that he and his teammates were ‘‘outraged’’ and wouldn’t be working out until further notice.
It led to a team meeting and a public apology from Norvell, who, in the first place, had told his players in a group text that they were loved and that coaches were available to talk.
Nice sentiments, so why the self-aggrandizing embellishment? Truthfulness was more important than ever.
A day after Norvell’s mea culpa, former Iowa players began taking Chris Doyle, the highestpaid strength coach in the country, to task on Twitter. More than 50 recent Hawkeyes players, most of them African American, alleged that Doyle — and, to some extent, longtime coach Kirk Ferentz — had created a culture that involved racism and bullying.
Bears guard James Daniels tweeted: ‘‘There are too many racial disparities in the Iowa football program. Black players have been treated unfairly for far too long.’’
Doyle resigned, leading current Hawkeyes senior Matt Hankins to tweet a heartening message: ‘‘Change is coming to this program, and I couldn’t be more proud to say I will be a part of that change!’’
In Austin, Texas, football players joined in a BLM march to the state Capitol building. Also, Longhorns athletes from seven sports, including football, posted a letter on Twitter that said recent events had ‘‘brought to light the systemic racism that has always been prevalent in our country, as well as the racism that has historically plagued our campus.’’
On campus, they want some buildings renamed and for statues to represent more diversity. They want the athletic department to give 0.5% of its annual earnings — about $1 million — to Black organizations and the BLM movement. And they’re done singing the school song, ‘‘The Eyes of Texas,’’ which was first performed at minstrel shows by white singers in blackface.
Former Bears linebacker Sam Acho tweeted: ‘‘Most black players hated singing that song. We were required to [sing it].’’
That’s just wrong.
At Clemson, enormously powerful coach Dabo Swinney found himself in a bad spot after it was alleged that a former staffer had used a racial epithet against a player and not been disciplined. Swinney also caught heat for wearing a ‘‘Football Matters’’ T-shirt, taken by many as a jab at the BLM movement.
Swinney wound up speaking at a BLM rally at the school and saying all the right things.
At Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy apologized in a pair of videos after being photographed in a One America News Network T-shirt. That led star running back Chuba Hubbard to threaten to boycott all team activities.
‘‘Black lives matter to me,’’ Gundy looked into the camera and said.
This isn’t the first time college football players have risen up impressively. In 2014, Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter called the NCAA a ‘‘dictatorship’’ and started a union movement. In 2016, Missouri’s team went on strike in solidarity with protests against racism on campus. Right now, though, feels like a bigger, broader moment.
You don’t have to agree with a single thing these fellas are saying, but you ought to respect them. Not that they need our permission or approval.
Young people finding their voices? Yes, indeed, it’s a beautiful thing.
Just sayin’
You’ve probably heard there will be a universal designated hitter in the major leagues this season . . . you know, assuming there’s a season.
Relax, it’s only temporary. Unless it’s instituted for both 2020 and 2021, which is highly possible. In which case — OK, you can stop relaxing — it won’t be going anywhere.
In short: Might as well burn your bats, Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, et al.
♦ I don’t like the universal DH. I also don’t like clouds, kids on my front lawn and endless updates to my electronic doohickies.
Seriously, though, I enjoy watching pitchers take their turns at bat. It’s perhaps the most relatable part of baseball. Jon Lester getting his first career hit and his first career home run and, along the way, becoming a really good bunter was charming — kind of like an out-of-shape guy training for his first 5K. Not that I’d know anything about that.
♦ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s handling of negotiations vs. Sammy Sosa’s fielding of steroid questions. Discuss.
♦ Aren’t we overdue for a new ESPN documentary involving Chicago sports? Just spitballing here:
‘‘Four Weeks in Glendale: The Luis Robert Story.’’
‘‘(c)Ricketts: He Cried Poor. No One Listened.’’
‘‘ ’Bisky Business: Ryan Pace and the 2017 NFL Draft.’’
I’ll show myself out.