Basketball Team Suspended for Kneeling during Anthem

Suspensions Spark Controversy, Conversations on Racial Equality

Members of the Bluefield College men’s basketball team were recently suspended for one game after kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, and as a result of the suspensions the team had to forfeit one of its games.

The players said they had been discussing the possibility of kneeling in an effort to honor those who have died to make a change in the civil rights movement, to pay respect to black people who have been victims of police brutality, and to raise awareness of current and past discrimination in America. They said they finally decided to kneel after watching the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

“The capitol riot wasn’t the only reason we kneeled,” said Stanley Christian, a starting senior forward for the Rams. “It just fired us up more.”  

The players first kneeled during the national anthem at two away games on January 23 and January 26, but it was a home game on January 30 in which the players kneeled that brought the matter to the attention of President David Olive and the public at-large. A local TV station captured the kneeling on video and aired the story along with a statement provided by the college.

“The Athletic Department at Bluefield College will support student-athletes’ desires to peacefully demonstrate social justice and related causes,” the statement said. “Taking a knee during the national anthem is a right that our student-athletes have as they demonstrate peacefully.”

Dr. Olive said the statement was written without his knowledge and provided to the TV station without his approval.

“Anytime a student-athlete puts on a jersey that says ‘Bluefield College’ on it, the message is no longer just the student-athlete’s message, but it becomes the message of Bluefield College,” Dr. Olive said.

In response to the kneeling, Dr. Olive met with Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Tonia Walker and men’s basketball head coach Richard Morgan to ask them to let players from all sports know that kneeling during the national anthem would not be allowed going forward.

“The basis for my decision stemmed from my own awareness of how kneeling is perceived by some in our country, and I did not think a number of our alumni, friends, and donors of the college would view the act of kneeling during the anthem in a positive way,” Dr. Olive said. “Pointing to the already fractured and divided nature of our country, I did not want Bluefield College contributing to the further divide; rather, I wanted the college to bring people together in a united effort to address issues of racial injustice.”

But that didn’t sway the players who kneeled again at an away game on February 2, ignoring Dr. Olive’s directive and Coach Morgan’s suggestions of alternate forms of more constructive protest. To avoid additional controversy, Coach Morgan kept the team in the locker room during the national anthem during an away game on February 4.

In response the the February 2 kneeling, Dr. Olive met with the team on February 5 to reiterate the reasons why they should not kneel and to suggest alternative forms of protest, including remaining in the locker room during the anthem, having a student-athlete read a statement about racial injustice over the public address system before each home game, or taking a knee during introductions. 

“I further told them that their intended message in bringing awareness of racial injustices was being diluted or completely lost because some saw their act of kneeling as being disrespectful to the flag, our country, and to our veterans,” Dr. Olive said. “In my opinion, their message was not being heard.”

During the meeting, the players shared how their intent was not to be disrespectful to the flag. They also spoke about their communities and life experiences, as well as personal encounters with racial injustice. Some said they felt as if what they were saying was being overshadowed by the president.

“He was showing us that he cared, but didn’t care at the same,” Christian said. “The meeting was being held so he could tell us to stop kneeling during the national anthem, but he changed the subject during the meeting to talk about stocks and investments, and I don’t feel like that was relevant to the subject at hand.”  

Christian said Dr. Olive told them that he was receiving dissension and hateful comments from community members for the team’s actions, but Christian argued that he had to deal with this same type of dissension in his community due to the color of his skin when dealing with a racist person.

The following away game on February 6 the team remained in the locker room during the national anthem, but after the controversy began to gain considerable exposure on social media and in the news media, the players had a change of heart and decided to kneel again at a home game on February 9 against Tennessee Wesleyan University. In fact, TWU players kneeled alongside BC players during the anthem to join in the protest.

The February 9 kneeling prompted Dr. Olive to issue repercussions. After consultation with Walker, Morgan and other college leaders, he decided to suspend the players for one game, forcing the team to forfeit its February 11 game at Reinhardt University.

“It goes without saying that this has been a challenging process for all parties involved,” Dr. Olive said. “I have heard and I understand the perspective of our players as to why they desire to kneel during the national anthem. I also know this form of protest immediately shuts down a number of individuals from listening to the intended message because of their perspective regarding the flag. No individual’s sincere motives are inherently wrong. But I continue to contend that we will not get to where we want and need to get as a country in addressing these racial issues without making honest attempts at creating pathways that bring people together for a common cause.”

Many players knew the significance of the suspension and were disappointed with Dr. Olive’s decision. They felt as if the president should have been more supportive.

“Making us forfeit the game hurt a lot, because it showed us that he didn’t really care about us playing and didn’t stand behind us,” said Jermiah Jenkins, a starting senior guard for the Rams. “I felt as if they wanted us to be quiet and play, and voicing our opinion didn’t matter.”

Others saw the suspension as disrespectful and a distraction, including Christian who said, “It was almost like a slap in the face. Our season has not been perfect, but as we started figuring things out, they shut us down and that was a huge distraction to us when we continued play. Although, we tried our best to channel the energy.” 

As an expression of support for the men’s basketball team, athletes from football, women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, and women’s soccer took part in a video conference to discuss the issue and to encourage the men’s basketball players. During the video conference, they also discussed possible ways to avoid the school’s policy as they believed their First Amendment rights were being violated.  

“We are a private entity, not a governmental entity,” Dr. Olive said. “We have policies and guidelines throughout the Student Handbook and the Academic Catalog that limit certain rights you otherwise might have elsewhere, such as in your home or in a public venue.”

Additional support from the football team came in the form of a statement issued by senior captain Collin O’Donnell, who is also a military veteran and who also addressed the First Amendment argument.  

“One of the hallmarks of our constitutional republic is our First Amendment right,” O’Donnell said. “This ability to peaceably hold different beliefs and opinions while living our truth are what make us unique and separates us from those in our world who look to silence others on issues which are uncomfortable to face. As a team, we are focused and dedicated to one another. We go out of our way every season to make real, positive changes in our community. Whether we agree or disagree on the way (in) which (we) express our concerns, when we step on the field, we are one unit, one family and we believe in each other.”  

The women’s basketball team expressed its support for the men’s basketball team’s cause by kneeling during the tip-off of a game. Likewise, the men’s volleyball team knelt before one of its matches. More student-athletes and other student body members protested at a football game by kneeling during the national anthem just two days after Dr. Olive suspended the men’s basketball players.

Alumni, led by 2018 graduate Dagoberto Acevedo, joined the protest by sharing remarks opposed to the anti-kneeling policy. In his remarks, Acevedo — who served as Bluefield College’s first brown LGBTQIA+ Student Government Association president — said “we need equality, we need equity.” In a petition signed by more than 300 alumni, he also identified demands of Dr. Olive, including the following:

• An immediate apology issued by Dr. Olive to the men’s basketball team for their wrongful suspensions.
• A public statement from the administration of the college expressing support for the student-athletes exercising their right to peacefully protest.
• A formal, written policy protecting the rights of students to protest peacefully, on and off campus property without fear of retribution.  
• An opportunity for athletes on the men’s basketball team to issue their own public statement regarding this matter.  

In addition to local news coverage and extensive social media exposure, the men’s basketball kneeling controversy has gained regional and national news coverage, including multiple articles on ESPN.com. and attention from the NAACP of Virginia.

BC’s Black Student Alliance and some staff members, including Walker, who is black, and Darren Martin, dean of academic support who is also black, have facilitated meetings and other events to raise awareness of racial injustices and to encourage conversations designed to help the campus come together. The conversations have already begun to allow students to comfortably speak about their personal racial and social experiences that have occurred both on and off campus.

“We are challenging our campus community to engage in constructive conversations and to take action to create a better nation and tomorrow,” Dr. Olive said.

As part of the effort to engage in constructive conversations, the college will host a Racial Equity Town Hall Forum, Monday, March 8 at 7 p.m. in Harman Chapel. The March 8 forum is a continuation “Conversations that Matter,” a series of discussions that began on campus this summer in an effort to encourage the campus community to reflect upon racism, injustice, and our role in reconciliation.

“The purpose of this Town Hall Forum will be to listen to the experiences and concerns of our Bluefield College students related to racial equity,” said Josh Arnold, BC’s associate vice president for student development, “and to seek to understand how our institutional commitment to justice, equity, and a Christ-like mission can guide us toward greater awareness and action.”

BC’s black students are hopeful these conversations will be productive and even their own actions will create change at Bluefield College.

“I plan on still pushing forward through everything that’s going on,” Jenkins said. “I plan to make sure I have a voice that is heard. I just want things to be better for those after me.”  

“We want administration change,” Christian added. “We want to have a more diverse staff, to help the students of different ethnic backgrounds feel more comfortable while learning. We want something much more than what they are doing.”