A pre-filed bill that would have revoked the scholarships of college athletes who boycott games has been withdrawn.
Mizzou football players last month joined other students in calling for the resignation of university system president Tim Wolfe, saying that they would not play another game until he quit or was fired.
The sponsor of the scholarship revocation proposal, Republican House Member Rick Brattin of Cass County, issued a written statement today. He said while students should be able to express their opinions, Missouri’s flagship university has to “keep and maintain the order expected from such an esteemed educational institution.”
The measure was co-sponsored by St. Charles County Republican Kurt Bahr.
House Democrats, including Black Caucus leader Brandon Ellington, blasted the proposal, saying it would have violated free speech rights and punished students for taking a stand against racial injustice.
The bill had said, “Any college athlete who calls, incites, supports, or participates in any strike or concerted refusal to play a scheduled game shall have his or her scholarship revoked. ... Any member of a coaching staff who encourages or enables a college athlete to engage in (such) behavior … shall be fined by his or her institution of employment.”
