In a statement released Sunday evening from head coach Gary Pinkel and athletics director Mack Rhoades, Missouri’s leadership appeared further in lockstep with their decision to side with their football players in striking against perceived racial injustice on campus.
More specifically, the statement said the Tigers will not resume football activities until Missouri student Jonathan Butler ends his hunger strike against MU system president Tim Wolfe.
A graduate student, Butler began his hunger strike Monday as a show of protest against racial and social conditions on Missouri’s campus until either Tim Wolfe is removed from office or my internal organs fail and my life is lost,” according to the Kansas City Star.
The statement in full:
Today, Sunday, there will be no football practice or formal team activities. Our focus right now is on the health of Jonathan Butler, the concerns of our student-athletes and working with our community to address this serious issue. After meeting with the team this morning, it is clear they do not plan to return to practice until Jonathan resumes eating. We are continuing to have department, campus, and student meetings as we work through this issue and will provide further comment tomorrow afternoon.
As the final sentence of the statement promises, there is still much to unfold in this story.