Bluefield College, a Virginia NAIA school, forfeited its men’s basketball game on Thursday after the school’s president suspended several players for kneeling during the national anthem.
President David Olive, who is white, said he had told players to stop kneeling during the national anthem in protest. When they moved on, he decided to suspend everyone involved.
That forced the team to give up the game against Reinhardt on Thursday-evening.
“The basis for my decision stemmed from my own awareness of how some in our country experience kneeling, and I didn’t think some of our alumni, friends and donors from the College would participate in the kneeling during the national anthem in a positive way,” Olive.
The president is suspending players after hearing of protests
Olive said, according to the report, that he only learned that players on the basketball team had knelt in protest in front of the national anthem on Feb. 1 after media reports surfaced – something they had done both at home and on the road during several previous games. He told coach Richard Morgan that protest would not be tolerated by him.
However, players knelt during the national anthem at a game the next day. Two days later, Morgan kept his team in the locker room during the national anthem. Olive reportedly contacted the team again, saying he supported their message, but didn’t like that it was during the national anthem.
“I went on to tell them that their intended message to raise awareness of racial injustices was watered down or completely lost, as some saw their kneeling act as disrespectful to the flag, our country and our veterans,” Olive said. “In my opinion their message was not heard.”
The team knelt again during the national anthem on Feb. 8, and Olive responded by saying there would be “consequences.” So he then suspended the players – telling them that any possible violation of the First Amendment didn’t apply here.
Players had reportedly been told they could kneel
Members of the basketball team have apparently been told that they cannot speak up or make any statements on the matter, Bluefield footballer Jewels Gray.
Still, Gray, who is close to the team, is confused by the suspensions. He said the team had been told before the start of the season that they could kneel in protest – something often seen in the sports world that doesn’t respect the flag or the country.
“Why should our school contradict what they said?” Gray said. “We had meetings for the season with [the athletic director] and the president, and they said we can kneel and they would support us 100% and get behind us. “
Since the suspension, Gray and others on the soccer team have left training – they play a spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic – in solidarity with the basketball team.
Today I stood up for what I believe in and peacefully protested social injustice during my soccer practice. Recently, colored inequalities against student athletes have arisen on my college campus and within my community and that is wrong.
I hope I have twitters support ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/FrayzzrAH3– Jewels Gray (@ 15_toetap) February 11, 2021
“I didn’t feel like the soccer team should practice if the basketball team can’t play just because they stood up for what they believe in,” said Gray. “I peacefully protested the practice, but I didn’t ask anyone else to leave the practice at my place. [the team prayer] and spoke and made them aware of what was going on. I know we all have one goal. “
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