(Kentucky football Twitter photo)
College football coaches at Power Five colleges and universities have come under scrutiny in the past two weeks over their perceived silence about the social injustices that come to the forefront in recent months with the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. One of the main reasons for the criticism is the number of African-American athletes that make up their rosters. Coaches that sit in the kitchens of homes of African-Americans who promise the parents that he will watch out for their child at college. Some have made their voices heard. Many have not.
Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops deserves no such scrutiny.
On May 29, Stoops tweeted “as so many of us have seen and felt, I deeply hurt for the injustice we have in our country. We must find a way to treat each other the way we want to be treated, with unity and respect. As a nation, we must overcome it. And we must begin now.”
On Friday, Stoops put his words to action as he, members of his coaching staff, and members of the Kentucky football team marched to the Fayette County Courthouse as part of Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Lexington. Media reports said Stoops used the courthouse as a symbol, encouraging his players to register to vote and make a difference.
“This afternoon, our team marched to the courthouse with two goals in mind — to show our support in the fight against racism and injustice and how to take steps to bring progress in our nation,” Stoops said Friday on Twitter. “One of those steps is to participate in our elections by registering to vote, which we will encourage our players to do when registration is open.”
“As a team, we stand together as a strong voice and renewed commitment to education, respect, unity, and positive, peaceful change,” Stoops said.
— Mark Stoops (@UKCoachStoops) June 6, 2020
