Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Taggart’s conversation with son led to realization
As protests sparked by the death of George Floyd — a Black man who died in police custody in late-May in Minneapolis — transpired across the nation, FAU football coach Willie Taggart’s son came to him with a question.
Willie Taggart II — Taggart’s oldest son who signed with the Owls in February — asked his dad if he’d be upset if he protested. The elder Taggart responded by telling his son he wouldn’t be upset and encouraged him to stand up for what he believes in.
“I knew when my son asked me that,” Taggart said, “I could only imagine what our team is going through.
“That was eating me up — knowing that things were bothering him. It was really eating at him too.”
The conversation between the Taggarts led to a Zoom call among the football team. The team meeting was one that Taggart referred to as one of the best he’s had as a football coach.
“They spoke from the heart,” Taggart said. “They also showed we have some special young men on this football team that I think will be future leaders, either locally or nationally.”
After hearing the players speak and discussing with his staff the ways they could help players, Taggart started the “Real Life Wednesday” program — an initiative that gives the team the opportunity to talk about topics outside of football.
FAU players registered to vote for the first “Real Life Wednesday” on June 10, which was two days after players returned to campus for voluntary athletic activities. Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer spoke with players about government and leadership June 17. Taggart said the team is expected to speak with local police chiefs this week.
“I wanted to take it a little further than [registering to vote],” Taggart said. “I wanted to make sure we educate them on civics and understanding policies.
“We have some guys who want to help and to make a change, and just don’t know how. It’s our job to help educate them. If we’re going to make any dent on anything, it’s going to be locally more than anything.”
Taggart said he plans to continue the program even if the team’s schedule becomes busier with a possible football season being played in the fall. He expects for the bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed June 12 that will allow college athletes in Florida to earn money off their name, image and likeness to be discussed during one of the meetings.
“We haven’t really got into that yet, but that’s going to be a part our ‘Real Life Wednesdays’ that we have,” Taggart said. “[It’ll be] something that’ll affect them in a positive way and it’s really important that we do a really good job of educating our guys on what their name, image and likeness are. It’s our job as coaches and administrators to do a great job of informing our guys on what it is, how they can benefit and making sure they’re doing it the right way.”