That was the Iowa Hawkeyes reasoning. There was more to it than just the George Floyd protests. There was racism within the program.
Iowa football allegations: What former players said, when they played, which coaches they named
At least 55 former Iowa football players and one current player — most of whom are African American — have made allegations on social media about a culture of racism and bullying in the program.
With strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle on administrative leave and an independent investigation to follow, The Gazette analyzed dozens of social media posts for a comprehensive look at what started it all.
The dialogue started Wednesday, June 3, after Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz met with the media to discuss the conversation he had with his current team about the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Police Department custody on May 25 and the nationwide protests for racial justice that followed.
Ferentz said that, if players were to kneel during the national anthem this season, he would want them to do that as a team. Chicago Bears offensive lineman James Daniels, who played at Iowa from 2015-17, tweeted “If the team collectively decides to kneel, this will bring about a cultural change for both Iowa football and the state of Iowa which I believe is long overdue!!!” Other players agreed.
https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/hawkeyes/iowa-football/iowa-hawkeyes-football-allegations-tweets-20200611
Iowa football players put fans on notice: Support their movement or don't support the Hawkeyes
Current Iowa football players have now made it clear to fans that they will not tolerate those who don't support their message off of the field on the heels of allegations against strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle. Sophomore defensive back Kaevon Merriweather took to Twitter on Monday to deliver the message that fans who don't support the team's decision to kneel during the national anthem shouldn't bother cheering for them moving forward.
"If you can not support us right now with this movement and with our team taking a knee during the national anthem, DO NOT support us during the football season," he wrote. "DO NOT watch our games on TV. DO NOT come up to us when you want photos. DO NOT ask us to give your kids autographs. DON'T COME TO US EXPECTING US TO DO FOR YOU WHEN YOU CAN'T SUPPORT THE BLACK ATHLETES ON THIS TEAM AND THE DECISIONS WE MAKE AS A TEAM. I would rather play in front of 1,000 fans who care about us as people outside of football and what we are standing for, than 70,000 fans who only care about us when we are in uniform and on the field entertaining them."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/iowa-football-players-put-fans-on-notice-support-their-movement-or-dont-support-the-hawkeyes/amp/
= new reply since forum marked as read
