Minnesota’s football team made the right call Saturday by dropping its protest of the suspension of 10 players and resuming preparations for the Holiday Bowl.
It’s all about picking your battles — even when it comes to the right to protest — and a battle involving sexual assault allegations isn’t one the players were going to win.
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The alternatives to dropping the bowl game would have been much worse. If Minnesota’s administration had caved, then what kind of message would that send about the handling of sexual assault allegations? Had the Gophers dropped out of the Holiday Bowl, the move would have cost the university money, the administration its authority, the players their reputation and the coaches their jobs.
Minnesota avoids some of that by playing against Washington State, but this isn’t over.
This is a situation where it’s clear not all the facts are out. It’s another complicated sexual assault case, and this one had the administration and players dug in on both sides using the bowl game as a negotiating point. The Holiday Bowl is the last thing that matters, and at least that boycott is off the table now.
"We now ask that you, the members of the media, our fans, and the general public hold all of us accountable for ensuring that our teammates are treated fairly, along with any and all victims of sexual assault. We also ask that the public dialogue related to the apparent lack of due process in a university system is openly discussed and evaluated,” Minnesota wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky read in a statement Saturday.
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It’s fair to ask for due process. It’s OK for players to protest and stand up for their teammates. Minnesota’s players enacted their rights to disagree with the suspension of those 10 players. No criminal charges were filed, but the University’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action report found those students violated university policy. Those are two different investigations, and that’s a sticking point.
Somebody has to be accountable. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported Friday that an underage recruit was involved in the alleged sexual assault. According to the Star-Tribune, “At one point, (Minnesota's Carlton) Djam used his phone to videotape the woman and the recruit having sex, according to the police report. Later, Djam sent a message to another player, Ray Buford, that he and the recruit had sex with the woman, the report says.”
Maybe the university is flexing its muscle with these suspensions, but when it comes to sexual assault allegations in the current climate, it’s always better to use as much discretion as possible until all the facts come out.
Minnesota has to take a strong stance against sexual assault allegations in the current environment. Just look at the surroundings. Baylor fired Art Briles for the mishandling of sexual assaults, and that program faces a long road to recovery. Video of Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon punching a woman was released Friday. College football has many of the same problems the NFL has dealt with in recent seasons.
WATCH: Video of Mixon's punch is appalling
It doesn’t matter if it’s sexual assault, assault or domestic violence. Any case involving any of those things must be treated fairly, as Wolitarsky says. But this is a game where nobody knows the victim’s name and everybody knows the football team. It’s not always a level playing field, and Minnesota has to get this right.
It’s clear the university, administration, players, coaches and alleged victim aren’t there yet. Playing in the Holiday Bowl isn’t going to fix all that. Nobody is going to come out feeling OK, but that happens any time sexual assault allegations occur.
In this case, not playing on the account of a protest would’ve been much worse.
