That certainly didn’t take too long.
Earlier this week, controversy erupted in Missouri yet again as Republican state representative Rick Brattin and a co-sponsor, fellow Republican Kurt Bahr, announced plans to introduce a bill that would rescind the scholarships of college athletes who go on strike. The proposed bill also included language that would’ve resulted in the firing of university employees who supported a strike, like former head coach Gary Pinkel.
The proposed legislation came on the heels of a strike of Missouri football players that helped lead to the ouster of Mizzou president Tim Wolfe, who had been accused by students of mishandling racial strife on the campus.
A couple of days after the legislation was introduced, it has been withdrawn by Brattin without any type of explanation. The Associated Press writes that “[n]either he nor a GOP co-sponsor, state Rep. Kurt Bahr, immediately responded to phone messages seeking comment.”
Just a few hours before the bill was withdrawn, however, Brattin defended the proposed legislation in an interview with USA Today.
“The hope is that the university acts so we don’t have to,” said Brattin, who represents the state’s 55th district. “We cannot have the student body, or in this case, the football team, going on strike and forcing out a school president. That cannot be allowed. ...
“I think the students have created this situation where nobody wants to come here. There have been several prospects who have chosen not to go to MU because it’s in such disarray. We need to bring order back. The football team is a sports organization, not a political activist organization.”