Mark Harlan, the new athletic director at the University of Utah, poses in front of portraits of former athletic director Isaac Armstrong, left, former head basketball coach Vadal Peterson and former athletic director James Jack at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 29, 2018. | James Wooldridge, Deseret News
Harlan vows to listen and learn to what players desire, says he is ‘looking forward to the dialogue’
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah athletic director Mark Harlan has commented on the “#WeAreUnited” movement.
Harlan took to ESPN 700AM’s “Bill Riley Show” and shared his thoughts this week on demands made to the conference by a group of Pac-12 football players,
“I learned since the murder of George Floyd that if you’re not listening and not paying attention, then you’re completely missing the boat,” Harlan said. “So I’m just going to listen and I’m going to learn. Hopefully we can all work together to find the areas that we can improve in if that’s the case. But also help educate each other.”
Under a byline “Players of the Pac-12,” a manifesto of sorts was posted on The Players’ Tribune website earlier in the week. The group, seeking “fair treatment for college athletes” in its posting, has since made contact with Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott and had a meeting scheduled with others, including Harlan.
The players have threatened to opt-out of fall camp and game participation if a variety of demands are not met. The list included COVID-19 and other serious concerns such as protecting all sports; reducing excessive pay for Scott, administrators and coaches; ending racial injustice in college sports and society; extending medical coverage to six years after athletic eligibility expires; a 50/50 revenue split; and “due process rights.”
Several other requests were also made.
“Because the NCAA has failed us and we are prepared to ensure that our conference treats us fairly whether or not it continues its NCAA membership,” said the article, concluding with a vow to form alliances with other leagues to “unite with us for change.”
The Big Ten has since had players unite in a similar fashion. As for the Pac-12, offensive lineman Nick Ford has stepped forward as Utah’s spokesperson for athletes who believe in points on the list.
“I did it to lead those who want to have a voice at the university,” Ford said via Twitter.
Harlan made it clear he welcomes such a dialogue.
“I remain impressed by the fact that these young people who are on these great campuses across our conference are using their voice,” Harlan said. “And they’re talking about concerns about health and safety. They’re talking about concerns about social justice. They’re talking about what they believe we should look about in terms of the finances of intercollegiate athletics.
“If you’re on a college campus and you’re not willing to have those conversations with the young people perhaps you shouldn’t be on a college campus,” he added. “Now does that mean I agree with some of the things I read? No and that’s something we are going to talk through.”
Harlan noted that he’s pleased with how these young men have communicated and is very proud of Utah’s guys that have gotten involved.
“I talked to a few of them,” said Harlan, who described Ford as a wonderful, intelligent young man who has brought so much to the Utah program and is a great person.
“You listen and you learn and I think they’ll listen and they’ll learn,” Harlan continued. “Maybe in this country we’ve lost a little bit of that.”
Social media attacks on Ford aren’t sitting well with Harlan. He doesn’t understand why people are coming after a college student who is using his voice. It’s also something Harlan said he won’t tolerate.
The big picture is the focal point.
“I’m looking forward to the dialogue,” Harlan said. “We may learn some stuff that we didn’t know.”
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2Ca6yJw
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario