{"id":1370,"date":"2021-04-02T08:41:13","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T12:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/?p=1370"},"modified":"2021-04-05T09:19:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T13:19:32","slug":"after-tennessee-gop-targets-program-etsu-coach-resigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firstandpen.com\/staging\/5861\/after-tennessee-gop-targets-program-etsu-coach-resigns\/","title":{"rendered":"After Tennessee GOP Targets Program, ETSU Coach Resigns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In February we wrote about the situation<\/a> surrounding the Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU) men’s basketball team. Less than two months later, that situation has changed dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, the team went viral for kneeling before games. It was, as noted by their head coach Jason Shay at the time, not a form of disrespect to veterans or the flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur intentions by no means involve disrespecting our country\u2019s flag or the servicemen and women that put their lives on the line for our nation,\u201d Shay said to the Johnson City Press<\/a> at the time. \u201cYou know we hold those heroes near and dear to our hearts, including two generals that have served our country right here in our backyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo one knows the sacrifice, the fear, the pain, the anxiety, the loss that they\u2019ve experienced fighting for our country\u2019s freedom and rights,\u201d said Shay, who is white. \u201cBut many of us don\u2019t know the same sacrifice, fear, pain and loss the people of color have had to endure over 400 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, every Tennessee GOP state senator signed and fired off a letter to university president Dr. Brian Noland. They expressed their disdain for the team’s actions and wanted them to be punished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Most of us are thinking that when you are in that uniform and you are acting as an ambassador for the university and the state, there possibly is a line there that differentiates that freedom of speech,\u201d said State Senator Rusty Crowe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many came to the team’s defense, including fans, alumni, local members of the community, and the university itself. That included ETSU\u2019s VP of Equity and Inclusion, Keith Johnson, who issued a strong statement<\/a> in support of the players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that \u2018disrespecting the flag\u2019 serves as a red herring fallacy to divert attention away from police brutality, racism, and issues which create much deeper and broader conversations that people just are not ready to have. If \u2018disrespecting the flag\u2019 were the real issue, uproar would have erupted on January 6th when violent rioters could be seen beating police officers with the
American flag.\u201d<\/p>

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