Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, who led the University of Georgia to its last national championship, isn't criticizing the move by University of Missouri football players who helped force out the school's president over concerns about racism on campus.
The players threatened to boycott games until the president resigned.
College players have long known that strikes and boycotts were an option, though few in the past actually went through with it or fully realized how powerful of an economic pain point it might become. Count Dooley in that group.
Dooley said he nearly led players in a boycott of practices when he was quarterback at Auburn in 1953.
Players were incensed when coaches reneged on a promise of watches and jackets for players before the Gator Bowl. The issue, Dooley concedes, looks minor now compared to the concerns about racism at Missouri. He was team captain at the time and teammates designated him to talk to the coach, who agreed to make good on the goods.
Student athletes “have every right to express themselves,” Dooley said. “It is also incumbent upon anybody in a position of authority, whether coaches or administrators, to take seriously some concerns.”
About the Author
