# 🏈 American Football - NCAA | Utah St. football players boycott game **URL:** \ **Category:** Sports\ **Tags:** ncaa, american-football\ **Created:** [December 14, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178 "2020-12-14T02:44:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OysterOmelet](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/oysteromelet/32/219695_2.png) [@OysterOmelet](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/OysterOmelet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/1 "2020-12-14T02:44:40Z")
> “On Tuesday, December 8th, the Utah State University Football Leadership Council held a zoom meeting with Noelle Cockett, President of USU, and John Hartwell, the Athletic Director. The purpose of the meeting was to have a say in the search for our new head coach. During the meeting, we voiced our support for Interim Head Coach Frank Maile. In response to our comments, their primary concern was his religious and cultural background. Players, stating their diverse faiths and backgrounds, then jumped to Coach Frank Maile’s defense in treating everyone with love, equality, and fairness. > **[Utah State Players Opt Out of Final Game Due to President's Comments, Past...](https://watchstadium.com/utah-state-players-opt-out-of-final-game-due-to-presidents-comments-12-11-2020/)** > > School president Noelle Cockett voiced concerns about Frank Maile’s religious and cultural background, Stadium has learned. ---
**Author:** ![MikeN1](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@MikeN1](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/MikeN1)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 11:44am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/2 "2020-12-14T11:44:16Z")
The comments about his religion and cultural background were unacceptable. There was no reference to any comments about his race. The only mention of race in the article is this- > “It is not the first time issues of repeated discrimination have happened. In December 2019, our head equipment manager used a racial slur against one of our African-American teammates. After disregarding the incident, pressure resurfaced to investigate in the summer of 2020. After the investigation, the administration concluded he would continue to be employed. ---
**Author:** ![tempogain](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/tempogain/32/264650_2.png) [@tempogain](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tempogain)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/3 "2020-12-14T12:54:56Z")
I wonder what she said. ---
**Author:** ![MikeN1](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@MikeN1](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/MikeN1)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/4 "2020-12-14T14:00:42Z")
Frank Maile, the coach in the article is a South Pacific Islander, so I suppose that something said about him could have been interpreted as racist, referring to his background. I can think of two things- there might have been some worries about whether he could treat situations involving gay players/personnel fairly (answer: yes, unless he states otherwise). Or, unlikely, there might have been some question about Sabbath observance, if for some reason a game had to be played on Sunday, same as you might have problems with a devout Muslim if a game had to be played on Friday. Which means you can’t hire an Orthodox Jew, because games are played on Saturdays. ---
**Author:** ![OysterOmelet](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/oysteromelet/32/219695_2.png) [@OysterOmelet](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/OysterOmelet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/5 "2020-12-14T14:25:13Z")
There are no college football games on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![OysterOmelet](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/oysteromelet/32/219695_2.png) [@OysterOmelet](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/OysterOmelet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/6 "2020-12-14T15:06:10Z")
> [@MikeN1](#): > > The comments about his religion and cultural background were unacceptable. There was no reference to any comments about his race. “Cultural background” is often used as a white supremacist dogwhistle for race. You hear a lot of neo-Nazis say crap like “Western civilization” because to say “race” isn’t palatable. ---
**Author:** ![tempogain](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/tempogain/32/264650_2.png) [@tempogain](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tempogain)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/7 "2020-12-14T15:09:46Z")
It doesn’t seem to be clear what was said yet. > **[Utah State football’s Frank Maile calls for probe of USU president’s alleged...](https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-state-sports/2020/12/13/utah-state-footballs/)** > > Utah State football assistant coach Frank Maile issued a statement Sunday in response to the reports that university president Noelle Cockett raised concerns over his cultural and religious background when players lobbied for him to stay on as the Ag ---
**Author:** ![jmee](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/8dc957/32.png) [@jmee](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/jmee)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/8 "2020-12-14T15:58:45Z")
That article leaves me scratching my head, wondering what’s going on. No one has described what the university president said. And it’s not clear whether the football players heard the call, or if they heard second-hand that someone was offended so they should be offended as well. Really hard to tell what’s going on, whether it’s a big deal or a mountain made from a molehill. ---
**Author:** ![tempogain](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/tempogain/32/264650_2.png) [@tempogain](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tempogain)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 4:15pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/9 "2020-12-14T16:15:46Z")
Judging from the comments here, it seems she’s not LDS, so that seems to be at the heart of it somehow, though it’s hard to imagine she wouldn’t be cognizant of such concerns. [https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/archive/2020/12/11/usu-football-players-reportedly-boycotting-season-finale-because-of-religious-bias](https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/archive/2020/12/11/usu-football-players-reportedly-boycotting-season-finale-because-of-religious-bias) ---
**Author:** ![OysterOmelet](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/oysteromelet/32/219695_2.png) [@OysterOmelet](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/OysterOmelet)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/10 "2020-12-14T18:08:40Z")
> [@tempogain](#): > > Judging from the comments here, it seems she’s not LDS, so that seems to be at the heart of it somehow, though it’s hard to imagine she wouldn’t be cognizant of such concerns. > > [https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/archive/2020/12/11/usu-football-players-reportedly-boycotting-season-finale-because-of-religious-bias](https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/archive/2020/12/11/usu-football-players-reportedly-boycotting-season-finale-because-of-religious-bias) We don’t know exactly what she said. We only know the general area. They will conduct an independent investigation. > [@jmee](#): > > No one has described what the university president said. And it’s not clear whether the football players heard the call, or if they heard second-hand that someone was offended so they should be offended as well. The players were part of the Zoom call with the school president and athletic director. According to the players, he wasn’t considered because of his race and religion. ![image](https://forumosauploads-12829.kxcdn.com/original/3X/f/5/f54875e1ca7264cedc8c1b01b0acdedf07831b15.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![MikeN1](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@MikeN1](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/MikeN1)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 6:10am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/11 "2020-12-15T06:10:58Z")
> [@OysterOmelet](#): > > There are no college football games on Sunday. > if for some reason game had to be played on Sunday Flight delay? Bus broke down? Equipment shipped elsewhere? Well, I said it was unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![MikeN1](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@MikeN1](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/MikeN1)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 6:20am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/12 "2020-12-15T06:20:22Z")
> Watkins is the first woman to lead the University of Utah — the state’s oldest, largest and only Research 1 higher education institution — in its 168-year history. > Watkins graduated with highest honors from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. She earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in child language at the University of Kansas; her scholarship focuses on communication development and disabilities in young children. Watkins’ research and training endeavors have been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education, as well as Lumina Foundation. She also has a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. In 2003, she was named a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She doesn’t seem your typical white-supremacist. ---
**Author:** ![OysterOmelet](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/oysteromelet/32/219695_2.png) [@OysterOmelet](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/OysterOmelet)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 6:25am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/american-football-ncaa-utah-st-football-players-boycott-game/200178/13 "2020-12-15T06:25:46Z")
> [@MikeN1](#): > > > Watkins is the first woman to lead the University of Utah — the state’s oldest, largest and only Research 1 higher education institution — in its 168-year history. > > Watkins graduated with highest honors from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. She earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in child language at the University of Kansas; her scholarship focuses on communication development and disabilities in young children. Watkins’ research and training endeavors have been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education, as well as Lumina Foundation. She also has a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. In 2003, she was named a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. > > She doesn’t seem your typical white-supremacist. LOL (1) wrong person. Noelle Cockett is the president of Utah St. It’s Utah state, not the University of Utah. (2) Plenty of white supremacists are well-educated. Richard Spencer and Stephen Miller both went to Duke.