University of Vermont officials are promising respect for free speech after members of a visiting basketball team were jeered by some fans when they knelt as the national anthem was played before a recent game.
“Going forward, it is my sincere hope and expectation that the behavior in Patrick Gym, and at all university events, will be grounded always in the respect and civility for which our athletic program and our university are well known,” UVM President Thomas Sullivan said in a statement this week.
That followed a Saturday incident at a game against Saint Michael’s College at which six players from the visiting team knelt during the anthem and drew some heckling, as well as some cheers.
During the cheering and booing, one person shouted, “Stand up!” Others yelled, “Freedom!” or, “Go home!”
Some students reported hearing racial epithets and said the incident amounted to harassment. All those who knelt were people of color.
Saint Michael’s players, coach Joshua Meyers and college officials said they were not ready to comment this week but were preparing a response.
All Division I college athletes are required to go through their school’s communications office before speaking to the press, according to NCAA guidelines.
University of Vermont Athletic Director Jeff Schulman wrote to ticket-holders Wednesday to share thoughts on what happened.
He stated that though he understood the difference of opinion in kneeling for the flag, the type of “harassment” alleged in the gym was unacceptable.
“The University and Athletic Department are committed to ensuring that our student-athletes and coaches, visiting teams, and fans are able to participate and experience our games in an environment that is free from threats, intimidation, and/or harassment,” he stated.
The national “Take a Knee” movement began in August 2016, when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem, to protest recent shootings of unarmed blacks by police officers, according to the NFL.
Kaepernick’s choice to sit through the anthem stirred conversation among players, coaches and members of the NFL, ultimately resulting in a shift from sitting to kneeling, 49ers defenseman Eric Reid wrote in a Sept. 25 opinion column for The New York Times.
“I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy,” Reid wrote.
Over a year later, the movement was reignited when many members of the NFL began to kneel during the national anthem after President Donald Trump stated in a tweet that those who knelt should be fired.
College athletes across the country have taken a knee, and some faced suspension and elimination. Gyree Durante, a quarterback for Albright College in Pennsylvania, was kicked off the team in September for kneeling during the national anthem, according to a Slate article.
Other areas of higher education have initiated “Take a Knee” movements that go beyond the field or court.
In his campuswide email sent Wednesday, Sullivan said he “wholeheartedly” agreed with Schulman.
“Our university community must provide a safe, respectful, and welcoming atmosphere, where active learning, free expression, and constructive dialogue are encouraged and embraced,” he wrote.
