A father’s lessons, and how they led Will Muschamp to take a stand for change
Will Muschamp said he felt that words were not enough.
As the national protests around the killing of George Floyd ramped up more than a week ago, the momentum for coaches speaking up took a little time to get moving. Gamecocks assistant Joe Cox was part of the early wave to speak out against racism on social media. Muschamp, South Carolina’s head coach, soon followed with a Twitter post that included a quote from Martin Luther King and the hashtag #CoachesStandForJustice.
That ended up a precursor to Muschamp and around 100 Gamecocks players and staffers marching Friday to the governor’s mansion and then the South Carolina State House as part of peaceful protests.
As he spoke about those choices Monday, Muschamp pointed to a big part of his inspiration: his father.
“My dad was a history teacher and if we weren’t playing sports or watching sports, we were talking about history,” Muschamp said. “One of his favorite topics was the 1960s civil rights movement. These recent tragic events that have occurred and brought a lot of memories back to me and my dad talking about Dr. King. He admired Dr. King and always taught that we can learn from our history, to help us with our future.”
That meant having I.S. Leevy Johnson, the first black graduate of South Carolina’s law school and a part of the civil rights movement, speak to the team. Muschamp also had Charles Jackson Jr., who runs the team’s spiritual development program, speak as well on the subject of peaceful protest and communication.
One message from Johnson figured in heavily on Friday’s itinerary. Johnson spoke of the power of voting, and a group of players from across the Southeast made sure they could.
“We went down and registered,” Muschamp said. “Most of our guys registered to vote. A lot did it online. We’re very proud of them for understanding that part of hearing that message.”
Muschamp did not say whether or not the team would get Election Day off from workouts in the fall, as some programs have said they’ll do. He said that decision will be made later, but players will be encouraged to vote. (That week, Georgia is coming to Williams-Brice Stadium.)
Muschamp spoke of positive words (education and communication) and negative ones (silence and violence) that he talked about with his team.
And the fifth-year coach even poked a little at the world where a social media post becomes a requirement of sorts.
“I can put out a paragraph on social media,” Muschamp said. “That does nothing compared to what we did Friday.
“The actions are what we need.”
In this case, the actions were walking across Columbia. Some players carried signs. All seemed to be wearing masks. (Muschamp said they might have violated some of the social distancing guidelines, but it was for an important reason.)
For the march from the mansion to the State House, the football players were asked to take the lead, as their presence might deter police violence. They obliged.
The team had a long meeting last week about the issues. Afterward, Muschamp felt it important for the team to make a statement. He didn’t require players to come, but put himself out there to do it.
“I told our team that Carol and I were going to be there on Friday,” Muschamp said. “You’re more than welcome to walk if they wanted to.”
Outside a few players who had high school graduations, the whole team marched.
Ever the coach, Muschamp hoped to see the world as a locker room. The metaphor means a place not necessarily where everyone loves and likes each other but, at the base, everyone respects one another and respects their common purpose.
“My father always told me, it’s easy to do what is right,” Muschamp said. “That means a lot to me. That says a lot about when you’re in a time of adversity, when you’re in a time of strife, to be able to do what is right, and that’s important to me.”
