Athletic Department Denies Allegations

Athletic Department Denies Allegations

Indignation from the athletic department regarding a part of the Twilight Commission Report which states that BIPOC athletes "do not feel comfortable doing so here," regarding athletic participation. The director of athletics is upset that he wasn't informed prior to the release of the report and seems to be in disbelief that this finding is rooted in facts. Some coaches specifically target former athlete and former BSU president, Leroy Nesbitt, for the "negative information" in the report regarding the athletic department. Overall, coaches and the athletic department voiced sentiments that sports inherently "erased" racial prejudice and that they treated their players identically regardless of race.

Volume 77, Number 22

John Griffith

The Campus

5/6/1983

Thomas Lawson- Director of Athletics
Leroy Nesbitt '82- BSU President
Russell Reilly- Coach of Men's Tennis

"The report urges the athletic department 'to make efforts to eliminate it by encouraging minority student participation... we believe that the coaches should be aware that differences do exist between their minority and non-minority players and we urge them to be sensitive to them."

"When somebody is going to make a statement which could be interpreted in many ways, you'd think they'd find out if there was any factual basis" -Lawson

"What (the report) implied was that we have coaches on the staff who have racist tendencies, and that's either a blatant lie or a misconception... I'm surprised anyone had the audacity to say that."- Reilly

"Every member of the department agreed the very nature of sports inherently precludes racism."