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University of Missouri Football Players Boycott

More than 30 football players from the University of Missouri have decided to boycott all team activities until President Tim Wolfe resigns or is fired.

The reaction comes after Wolfe’s response to several racial incidents on campus that many feel were inadequate.

Several football players, including starting defensive back Anthony Sherrils, posted statements on Twitter in support of the boycott.

“The athletes of color on the University of Missouri football team truly believe ‘Injustice Anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere,’” the statement read.

“We will no longer participate in any football related activities until President Tim Wolfe resigns or is removed due to his negligence toward marginalized students’ experience. WE ARE UNITED!!!!!”

An activist group at the school, Concerned 1950, has lead the demands for change which Wolfe has allegedly failed to address or acknowledge, the Agence France Presse reports. The name reflects the year that Black students were first admitted to the university.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon responded to the protests in a statement Sunday.

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American sport has always served as a platform for resistance and has been measured and critiqued by how it responds in critical moments of racial and social crises.
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A New Track: Fostering Diversity and Equity in Athletics