Oklahoma University Football Players and Coaches Protest Racist SAE Video

By now, everyone has seen the despicable video of the racist SAE fraternity chant that has been circulating everywhere. The impact of the video has hit hard and it’s got the whole nation talking. Rightly so, the student body at Oklahoma University is outraged and decided to protest on campus early Monday morning. Around 100 Oklahoma University student athletes, including football players, gathered with their fellow students in a silent protest.

The football players were joined by their head coach Bob Stoops, who was also very disturbed by the contents of the video. “It’s sad the ignorance that can still be there with some people. It’s just appalling,” he told the Tulsa World. “I was here to be with my guys. We all work with beautiful young men and women of all races. It’s just, you know, very little gets me choked up. But that hurt.”

Later in the day, the OU football players continued their protest. The team was originally scheduled to have spring football practice on Monday afternoon, but instead of running drills, the coaches and players entered Everest Training Center with their arms linked.  Dressed in all black, they stood together in silence for a few minutes before gathering in a huddle and reciting the Lord’s Prayer. 

While most of the students protested in silence, Oklahoma University linebacker Eric Striker was a lot more vocal about his feelings towards the incident. He sent out a Snapchat on Sunday night shortly after the video went viral, expressing his anger and disgust with the students portrayed in the video.

 
Striker has every reason to say what he said and while he later apologized for using harsh language, he holds strong to how he feels. He appeared on CNN on Monday night to talk about the SAE video and how he felt betrayed because the same people who show him love on Saturdays during football season are the same ones who do and say racist things behind closed doors. He left viewers with a positive message though, encouraging people not to fight hatred with hatred.

The SAE fraternity has since been banned from Oklahoma University and all the students involved will most likely be expelled from the school. Their Greek letters were taken down from their frat house on Monday and OU President David Boren gave members until Tuesday night at midnight to move out. While it will take time for the OU community to heal from this, it is encouraging to see the students and faculty making the best out of a terrible situation. By uniting together against racism, there is hope that the school can become a stronger and more tolerant place in the future.