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Stephen F. Austin players raise fists, take delay of game penalty vs. UTEP to protest racial injustice

Players at Stephen F. Austin took a delay of game penalty in the first quarter against UTEP on Saturday night to protest racial injustice.

The players took a knee and raised their fists in the air with 12 minutes to go in the first quarter.

The penalty and protest came ahead of a kickoff after Stephen F. Austin took a 7-0 lead over the Miners. While it wasn’t the first in-game protest by a college football team on Saturday, it was the first time a team had drawn a penalty to draw attention to their protest in 2020.

Earlier Saturday, Eastern Kentucky’s players and staff drew attention to systemic racism and social injustice. Players walked into Marshall’s stadium with shirts that said “Say Their Names” in reference to victims of police brutality.

The EKU coaching staff then continued to wear the shirts during the game. EKU is located in the same state where Breonna Taylor was killed by police when Louisville officers kicked down her door in their quest to fulfill a search warrant against someone else and shot and killed her.

Numerous teams across the country have participated in voter registration drives and social justice protests and marches to bring attention to the issues of systemic racism in the United States. And as more teams begin their seasons in the coming weeks we’re likely to see other similar forms of demonstrations and protests during games against the problems that plague our society.

STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 01:  A Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks helmet is seen during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi.  (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Stephen F. Austin opened the season against UTEP on Saturday. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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