Missouri Football Players On Strike, Aim to Oust President

Updated at 3 p.m.

A perceived failure by the University of Missouri president to address acts of racism – from use of a racial slur toward a student leader to a Nazi swastiska in a dorm – have prompted African-American football players to go on strike.

Reports say 32 Mizzou team members announced Saturday night that they will not take part in football activities until President Tim Wolfe steps down.

Cornerback John Gibson Tweeted: “[The decision] has nothing to do with our coaches. Our coaches are 100% behind us. Including the white ones.”

The athletic department said on Twitter: “We must come together with leaders from across our campus to tackle these challenging issues and we support our athletes right to do so.”

And teammate and offensive lineman Paul Adams, who is white, tweeted, “Nothin but respect for my brothers... I love y’all”

The Tigers have a 4-5 record so far this season after Thursday’s loss to Mississippi State.

Wolfe didn’t address the call for his resignation when he issued a statement Sunday, but said he and his staff are working around the clock to find solutions and hold an open dialogue.

“It is clear to all of us that change is needed, and we appreciate the thoughtfulness and passion which have gone into the sharing of concerns,” Wolfe said. (See his full statement at the bottom of the article.) “My administration has been meeting around the clock and has been doing a tremendous amount of reflection on how to address these complex matters.”

Students say racial tension began simmer in September when Payton Head, the president of the Missouri Students Association, posted a Facebook message about a group repeatedly yelling the N-word at him on campus.

The campus newspaper, the Missourian, reports that last month a man used a racial slur after interrupting a rehearsal by the Legion of Black Collegians for an event. Feeling that the school administration was silent on the issue of racism, students blocked Wolfe’s car during the homecoming parade.

Most recently, someone used feces to draw a swastika on a wall in a residence hall, ESPN reports. Wolfe and other administrators were again criticized for inaction, which culminated with grad student Jonathan Butler starting a hunger strike on Monday. Butler says he will not eat until Wolfe has resigned, saying Wolfe has failed to respond to racist and homophobic incidents on the campus.

A change.org petition asking Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to remove Wolfe from office has nearly 3,000 signers.

The Twitter hashtag ‪#‎ConcernedStudent1950 has been an online focal point for the students, and their detractors. The hashtag refers to the year when black students were first admitted to the Columbia, MO, university.

President Wolfe’s full statement issued Sunday afternoon:

It is clear to all of us that change is needed, and we appreciate the thoughtfulness and passion which have gone into the sharing of concerns. My administration has been meeting around the clock and has been doing a tremendous amount of reflection on how to address these complex matters.

Clearly, we are open to listening to all sides, and are confident that we can come together to improve the student experience on our campuses. We want to find the best way to get everyone around the table and create the safe space for a meaningful conversation that promotes change. We will share next steps as soon as they are confirmed.

In conjunction with campus representatives, the university began work on a systemwide diversity and inclusion strategy, plan and metrics for the University of Missouri System as part of my strategic goals (see 1.4.i of the System Strategic Plan) as approved by the Board of Curators in summer 2015.

Our due date for announcing the strategy was April 2016, having allowed for multiple stakeholders (e.g., faculty, staff, students, consultants) across the system to provide input into the plan.

The majority of items listed on the Concerned Student 1950 List of Demands were already included in the draft of the strategy. While the student list provides more detail and more specific metrics than had been established in the UM System plan, we had anticipated providing specificity and detail to the plan over the coming months.

In the meantime, I am dedicated to ongoing dialogue to address these very complex, societal issues as they affect our campus community.