Black Missouri football players are refusing to play until their president resigns

More than 30 football players at the University of Missouri said Saturday they refuse to play in any practices or games until Tim Wolfe, the system president, resigns or is terminated, SB Nation reports. The athletes, many of whom are black, are boycotting as part of a larger movement on campus to protest recent racial issues.

A student group has been pushing for Wolfe's resignation since at least October, arguing his response to race-related incidents on campus has been insufficient. A graduate student protester who was struck by Wolfe's car at a homecoming parade announced he would go on a hunger strike Nov. 2.

In one recent incident, a swastika drawn in human feces was found on a dorm wall, USA Today reports.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"The department of athletics is aware of the declarations made tonight by many of our student-athletes," a Mizzou spokesperson said in a statement. "We all must come together with leaders from across our campus to tackle these challenging issues and we support our student-athletes right to do so."