University of Missouri Football Players Boycott Until President Resigns

Update: 11:45 am

Roughly thirty African-American football players at the University of Missouri are boycotting the team until their demand is met: the resignation of the university’s president, Tom Wolfe.

Wolfe is accused of not appropriately handling some racially-based incidents on campus, including on September 12, when the Missouri Students Association president Payton Head was the recipient of racial slurs yelled at him from a pick-up truck on campus. On October 5, the Legion of Black Collegians were harassed while practicing for a homecoming performance. On October 24, a swastika was drawn in feces in one of the dorms.

Wolfe is also accused of ignoring a group of students when they approached his car to talk about the issue during the homecoming parade, and actually allowing his driver to hit one of them with his car. The allegations from that incident are detailed in the tweet below:

If you don’t know already, here is our story. #ConcernedStudent1950pic.twitter.com/BNi8NggYV6

— JB. (@_JonathanButler) October 13, 2015

Furthermore, Wolfe allegedly met with some of the concerned students, but did not take steps to assuage the issues on campus. It’s within this context that at least thirty African-American members of the football team have said they will not continue to play unless Wolfe steps down. The plan was announced via Twitter:

We are no longer taking it. It’s time to fight. #ConcernedStudent1950#MizzouHungerStrikepic.twitter.com/mnPZBviqJF

— LBC (@MizzouLBC) November 8, 2015

The university’s athletics department has said it stands by the students.

The overall air of protest at Mizzou also made headlines earlier this week when graduate student Jonathan Butler announced that he would embark on a hunger strike with the same goal–forcing Wolfe’s resignation. The football boycott is tied to Butler’s protest, and was overall organized by a student group called Concerned Student 1950. The 1950 in the group’s title is a reference to the fact that 1950 was the first year in which African-American students were allowed to matriculate at Mizzou. Butler explained his actions, stating:

I will be embarking on an indefinite hunger strike in opposition to having Tim Wolfe as the University of Missouri system president. I will not consume any food or nutritional sustenance at the expense of my health until either Tim Wolfe is removed from office or my internal organs fail and my life is lost.

Missouri’s next game is supposed to be against Brigham Young University on November 14. What will happen at that game, and exactly how many players have explicitly joined the protest are unclear. But one thing seems certain–these Mizzou students aren’t going to back down without a fight.

Update: 11:45am 

It was announced today that President Tom Wolfe will be stepping down–he announced his resignation at a University of Missouri System Board of Curators special meeting earlier today. 

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.