Howard U Forbids Athletes From Kneeling During National Anthem

Howard University In Washington DC — Source: Kevin Carter / Getty

The athletics department at Howard University announced that its pregame protocols will now require that student-athletes stand for the entirety of the national anthem or remain in the locker room for its duration.

The move was announced after members of the school’s women’s basketball team took a knee during the anthem in a game against the United States Military Academy.

“There have been thoughtful internal conversations between athletics leadership, coaches and student-athletes regarding pregame protocols,” said Howard University Athletics Vice President Kery Davis in a statement. “The current approach is about supporting our students’ freedom of expression while upholding mutual respect for all communities.”

While the team lost the game 64–56, the impact of players kneeling in protest during the anthem apparently caused a stir — enough to prompt the announcement.

“Our program has been kneeling since COVID, especially when all the social justice things were happening,” Lady Bisons associate head coach Brian Davis said. “All the young men and women Black of color [who] were passing away from the hands of police brutality, we decided to take a stand against social injustice.”

“I think that their personnel kind of took it the wrong way and tried to take it somewhere where it wasn’t,” Davis continued. “We didn’t want to disrespect anybody. That wasn’t our intent. But if we did, we definitely apologized to them and let them know where we stood with it.” He then stated that the team will remain in the locker room for the anthem during the rest of the season.

Kneeling as a form of protest during the national anthem has been used by student-athletes at Howard since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began doing so before games in 2016. Members of the cheerleader team began to kneel in solidarity at games, drawing national attention at the time.

The decision was met with surprise and some disappointment among some other student-athletes on campus, with many opting to support the decision so as not to hurt the school.

“It wasn’t a threat; our coaches just gave us the consequence of what could potentially happen, and it was scary, and I think it’s important to consider other people’s opinions when you could directly affect them,” said men’s junior soccer goal keeper Ireal Wyze-Daly to campus newspaper The Hilltop.

Howard University Forbids Athletes From Kneeling During National Anthem was originally published on cassiuslife.com