In a social-media message posted Friday, Arizona Wildcats coach Kevin Sumlin implored American citizens to vote in the Nov. 3 election.
βAs I have noted before, when I look at our football team β a true melting pot β I am buoyed by their thoughtfulness, their collective voice and their willingness to demand change,β Sumlin tweeted. βIt gives me hope that perhaps this generation will be the one to finally ensure social justice in America, and I am committed to standing with them and being a part of that solution.
βThis is a critical moment in our nationβs history, and we all have a voice. I encourage everyone to use that voice at the ballot box in November.β
Standing together. pic.twitter.com/v6XxN9rwvh
— Kevin Sumlin (@CoachSumlin) August 28, 2020
Sumlin, one of 14 Black head coaches in the 130-member Football Bowl Subdivision, has coached at Arizona since 2018. This was to have been his third season, but Pac-12 football is on hold indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Wildcats are 9-15 under Sumlin.
Sumlin was the first Black head coach at Houston and Texas A&M. While at A&M, after the Aggies lost a game, Sumlin received a threatening letter that included a racial slur.
College teams have become increasingly involved in social-justice causes in recent days following the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer. The NBA and NHL boycotted playoff games earlier this week to bring awareness to societal problems. WNBA and MLB players also sat out games to raise awareness.
After two days of talks with players, NBA owners agreed to turn their arenas into voting locations wherever possible.
In June, the NCAA encouraged its member schools to make Nov. 3 a day off for their student-athletes so they can, in the words of NCAA president Mark Emmert, βvote and participate in their ultimate responsibility as citizens."
