African American lawmakers in South Carolina are urging star football recruits to consider rejecting the state’s flagship school, the University of South Carolina, in terms of sports, because the school may lose its lone black trustee.
According to the Associated Press, Congressman David Weeks (D) says, “[Recruits] should know some people in the state want black people to play sports but not serve as trustees.”
The situation has many people wondering if this is a case of black lawmakers using young football recruits as political footballs. Or are they leveraging the vast importance of football at the University of South Carolina to get across the imperative nature of this issue?
The flack, the Associated Press states, involves a black lawyer whose election next month by the Legislature is definitely in doubt.
Weeks and other lawmakers refused to reveal who is making the calls to the prospective Gamecocks football players. The AP couldn’t immediately confirm whether any recruits had been contacted. The spokesperson for the USC athletic department, Steve Fink, revealed he nor head coach Steve Spurrier are aware of any such calls. –terry shropshire
