Utah State Football Coaches Release Statement On Diversity, ‘Creating Opportunity For All’
Jun 3, 2020, 9:37 AM | Updated: 11:46 am
USU Coach Gary Andersen urges his team on as Utah State University defeats Toledo 41-15 as they play football in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, in Boise, Idaho. Courtesy of Deseret News.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah State Aggies football coaching staff published a statement on diversity and their commitment “to being part of the solution” in the fight against inequality and racial injustice.
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The coaches released the statement in a post via the team’s official Twitter account on Wednesday, June 3.
“Our locker room is full of young men diverse in background, race, and beliefs and is a locker room of equal opportunity, togetherness and respect. It is a locker room of core values that include respecting and caring for teammates and others around us,” the coaching staff wrote. “Recent events in our country remind us of the privilege we have to be coaches and our responsibility as educators, though not perfect, we strive to build a culture of love, respect and opportunity for all. We strive to treat each young man as if they are our very own. Our goals for them include success academically, socially and athletically on the field and beyond football. The experiences we have with our team provide some of the most meaningful relationships we have in this life.”
— USU Football (@USUFootball) June 3, 2020
“Meaningful change will come as we take responsibility for ourselves to be better,” the coaches continued. “As a staff, we are committed to being a part of the solution by cultivating attitudes of understanding, fostering respect, creating opportunity for all, and working to build bridges that unite us as individuals, as the Aggie football family, and as citizens of our nation.”
The statement was released one day after the Aggies’ football program supported the “Blackout Tuesday” national movement on social media.
— Utah State Athletics (@USUAthletics) June 2, 2020
On June 2, a nationwide movement called “Blackout Tuesday” took place to amplify the voices of black people on social media. The movement began in the music industry with Atlantic Records and spread across all platforms of social media. Users posted a black square to their profile, using #blackouttuesday.
