This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When the news came that University of Minnesota football players were threatening to boycott the Holiday Bowl following the school's suspension of 10 teammates, I wondered: What part of a week in San Diego don't they understand?
Other, more serious questions also came to mind as I studied what was behind their stance, namely: What part of sexual assault don't they understand?
The Gophers' issue may have been the worst basis of protest in sports history. The players were upset that their teammates were being punished for acts that the legal system overlooked. But they collectively changed their attitudes when they learned of the details in the 80-page report of the university's investigation, and decided to play next week vs. Washington State.
Minnesota's players got it right, with the media's help. Clearly, the Gophers couldn't have withstood the criticism that came even before the report's release, and would have intensified afterward.
The entire episode was embarrassing to Minnesotans — and anyone named Kragthorpe has deep ties to the state and, naturally, the flagship college athletic program.
This was nothing like the proposed boycott by Missouri players of a game last year, which happened to be against BYU. The Tigers, who ended up playing (and winning) that week, were protesting incidents of racism on campus. Contrast that subject to what the Gophers were fighting against. Mistreatment of alleged sexual-assault perpetrators? Wow.
The mess in Minneapolis worsened when coach Tracy Claeys tweeted support of his players' intentions, seemingly pitting himself against the school's administration and appearing callous about sexual assault. As former Missouri coach Gary Pinkel did at the time, Claeys believed he needed to back his players, so they would respond to his coaching whenever they played again. But this was the wrong subject to be endorsing, and Claeys knows that now, based on his portrayal in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Some of the Minnesota players were said to be more angry about the timing of the report's release than the contents themselves. That's disturbing. But thankfully, team leaders finally recognized what they were protesting, and the statement about their return highlighted their sensitivity to the woman involved in the incident that followed the Gophers' season-opening game and the subject of sexual assault.
The Gophers needed to learn that their teammates' opportunity to play in the Holiday Bowl or any other game is subject to the university's standards beyond the legal system. In saying that former Utah State football player Torrey Green and former Brighton High School star Osa Masina of USC are innocent until proven guilty, I endorse how the Atlanta Falcons cut Green as soon as any suggestion of potential charges against him surfaced and how Masina was removed from USC when he faced charges.
The punishment of those 10 Minnesota players is justified by the report, and their teammates seem to understand that now — in time to compete in the Holiday Bowl, but much too late for me to cheer for them against Washington State. As a Kragthorpe, that's saying a lot.
Twitter: @tribkurt