WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (AP) – A Western Carolina University football player asked his teammates to boycott team activities after several racist videos involving academics were posted on social media.
Jaylon McMillon said he and other members of the Catamounts football team agreed in a Zoom video on Sunday not to participate in the internships (practices began in mid-July) and other activities in preparation for what will be a two-game drop. without a convention in November, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
Players have the opinion of head coach Mark Speir, who called the videos objectionable.
On Tuesday night, the school announced that the five students in the videos had been expelled. The school said a sixth user did not refer to a student from West Carolina. Officials have no additional comments.
McMillon said the boycott would remain in effect until West Carolina officials concluded their review of the videos. Two of the videos were shared on social media over the weekend, appearing several students, who gave the impression of being white, a racial slur.
The school issued a conviction for the videos and said it was addressing the issue, but McMillon questioned how long it took to review the incident.
“Our chancellor came out and said, “It’s going to take time, ” said McMillon. So we take this and think, ‘Why do you have to watch the video several times to perceive what’s going on?’ “
According to the paper, a compilation of Snapchat videos that lasted approximately 24 moments included what appear to be 3 women and a boy, a racial slur for African-Americans. A moment of video mashup on Sunday that lasted more than 90 moments showed two white men, who claimed that their hand gesture “OK” was not a symbol indicating white power. One of the men referred black women with the insult.
In the video released on Sunday, Chancellor Kelli R. Brown knew the other people in the videos as students. He said he had spoken to several student leaders who expressed their “fear, anxiety and pain.”
“Today you can hear justifiable calls to action across the network on our campus. Be assured that the University is taking active action for those express incidents in accordance with our educational processes and policies,” Brown said in the first of two statements sent in an email. “However, we cannot disclose the express measures that were taken against one or more academics in particular. In this spirit, our inability to speak express movements deserves not to be interpreted as inaction. Western Carolina University takes seriously the effect these videos have had on the campus network and will act accordingly.”
“University leaders are taking active action, even now. We want to overcome negativity and prejudice,” Brown said.
McMillon said the team held the Zoom assembly on Monday to plan a march involving academics and athletes from across campus to raise awareness.
“For the big picture alone, what’s happening in the world is much bigger than football right now,” McMillon said.
West Carolina, with more than 12,000 academics, is located in the city of Cullowhee, about 85 kilometers southwest of Asheville. The school’s online page indicates that more than 20% of its academics identify as a racial minority.