If you have watched Arkansas State football this season, then you may have noticed a cross on the back of the helmet placed on the red stripe of the helmet. The cross was added to the team’s helmets this season as a tribute to former defensive lineman Markel Owens and former equipment manager Barry Weyer Jr. After receiving a complaint addressing a concern about the separation of church and state potentially being breached, the football team will remove the cross from the back of the helmets.
According to a report by a Jonesboro television station, Arkansas State Athletic Director Terry Mohajir said an attorney sent the complaint to the university, which led to a discussion with the university’s legal team to address the proper action. As a result, the cross will be removed from the helmet, although the initials that accompanied the memorial cross will remain on the helmets. The decision to add the cross came from the players and the coaches.
“I am 100 percent in support of our coaches’ and players’ expression of faith, as well as their choice to honor the two individuals associated with our team who passed away by voluntarily wearing a cross decal on the back of their helmets,” Mohajir said in a statement shared to KAIT in Jonesboro. “After consulting with University counsel, we have been advised to either modify the decal or remove it completely. Thus, in order to ensure that we are in full compliance with Constitutional law, we will be modifying the decal to still honor the two individuals who are no longer with us.”
Owens was shot and killed in January in a double homicide. Owens put himself in harm’s way while attempting to defend his family as two masked intruders broke into his home. Weyer was killed in an automobile accident following the conclusion of the 2013 season for Arkansas State.