SIU Bans 'Activism' Among Athletes After Cheerleaders Take Knee

CARBONDALE, IL — Southern Illinois University has banned any form of political statements or activism among athletes. Administrators of the university's sports programs added new language to its policy manual to warn participants that SIU will not tolerate displays of activism around any political issues, the Daily Egyptian reported. Any such displays may result in athletes getting kicked off the team under the new policy.

The policy changes for the 2017-2018 school year stem from a controversy that began last fall when three members of the SIU cheerleading squad took a knee ahead during the national anthem before a football game. The contentious practice of kneeling during pre-game national anthems began in 2016 when former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling to protest racial injustice.

The trio of Saluki cheerleaders started their protests in September, a week after President Donald Trump issued a series of tweets regarding the practice, which led to an increase in the number of professional players protesting. The three students, two from Chicago and one from Nashville, Tennesse, continued with the practice throughout the season.

“It’s not a protest against the flag. It’s not a protest against Donald Trump,” one told the Daily Egyptian following a game. “It was a protest for our civil rights that we are still fighting for, that we have been fighting for, for hundreds of years and we’re not getting any justice.”

In response to the incident, the cheerleaders, now juniors, reported receiving "death threats and sexual assault threats, and being called the N-word so many times," according to the Southern Illinoisan. And in January, the trio received an award from the Carbondale branch of the NAACP as an "example of courage and dedication," the Southern reported.

“It is a privilege and not a right to be a student-athlete, cheerleader or spirit member at Southern Illinois University,” according to an addition to the code of conduct issued by administrators of SIU's athletic programs provided to the Daily Egyptian.

“Members of the department, including student athletes, cheerleaders and spirit members must remain neutral on any issue political in nature when wearing SIU official uniforms and when competing [or] performing in official department of athletics events and activities,” the new policy said, according to the Daily Egyptian. “Any display (verbal or non-verbal) of activism (either for or against) a political issue will not be tolerated and may result in dismissal from the program.”

Only one of the three cheerleaders is returning to the squad, the Daily Egyptian reported. The chief administrator of SIU's women's athletic programs told the paper it was inappropriate to make political statements while representing the university.

"We have this policy because were wanting to put forward a message of unity and by taking sides or offending one side or the other," she said. The new policy comes after administrators sought to block the school paper from photographing the cheerleaders and the school's chancellor said he supported their right to protest.

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