Marquette revokes scholarship offer to lacrosse player after she compares Floyd's death to Kaepernick's protest
An incoming freshman at Marquette has seen her scholarship offer revoked after a Snapchat post that compared George Floyd’s death with Colin Kaepernick’s protest during the national anthem before NFL games.
The young woman was not identified in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s story about the post. Per multiple screenshots posted online and the text printed in the story, the post said, “Some ppl think it's ok to f------ kneel during the national anthem so it's ok to kneel on someone's head. come at me. y'all brainwashed."
Floyd died in police custody after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin has been fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Kaepernick, who has not played a regular-season game in the NFL since 2016, took a knee during the national anthem to protest police treatment of black people and other minorities.
Screenshots of the post started circulating online over the weekend. Marquette said it had become aware of the post on Friday. Like many other cities across the country, protests in the wake of Floyd’s death have taken place in Milwaukee.
"Following an internal review involving the Division of Student Affairs, Undergraduate Admissions, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and Intercollegiate Athletics, and in alignment with our Guiding Values, Marquette University has made the decision to rescind the incoming student’s offer of admission and athletics scholarship, effective immediately," a spokesperson for Marquette said in a statement.
"As a Catholic, Jesuit institution, we are called to build a nurturing, inclusive community where all people feel safe, supported, welcomed and celebrated."
Mizzou investigating Snapchat video
The incoming freshman at Marquette may not be the only student to face college consequences for an irresponsible social media video. The University of Missouri replied to a video posted online of two young women mimicking Floyd’s death and said that it had referred the video to its Title IX offices.
Thank you for letting us know. We are aware of the video and have submitted the details to the appropriate offices.
— Mizzou (@Mizzou) May 29, 2020
The video even drew the attention of the Missouri Students Association, which said in a statement on Saturday that “We do not condone such egregious displays of racism and condemn all acts of hate, which have no place on our campus. We value and appreciate the voices of those who have spoken out and brought this issue to the attention of Mizzou administration in order to encourage accountability and a safe and inclusive home for Mizzou students.”
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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