Iowa football finally gets to control the message for a change
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – From a public relations standpoint, the Iowa football team’s press conference on Thursday was a success.
Kirk Ferentz and three players met with the media and they all had a similar message that significant progress is being made to address accusations of racial disparities and bullying within the program.
It would have been shocking if anything different was said because the main purpose for having the press conference was to control the message for a change.
The Iowa football program has taken a beating over the past five weeks from a public relations standpoint as numerous former black players have spoken out on social media about how they were mistreated at Iowa.
Ferentz had been silent for more than month, which meant that only one side of the story was being told until Thursday.
But this isn’t a matter of picking sides for Ferentz, or for the current Iowa players.
Iowa’s all-time winningest football coach already has accepted the disturbing fact that the culture he once thought was healthy and thriving within the program actually leaves much to be desired in some respects.
A Kansas City law firm is currently conducting an independent review of the Iowa football program and Ferentz said Thursday that over 100 interviews already have occurred with past and current players, and with the assistant coaches.
“I visited with the group this week, so I think they’re coming down to the end here,” Ferentz said. “My sense was they’re hoping to gather all the information, hopefully, by the end of this week. That’s kind of just a rough target. And then how they proceed from there I can’t give you a timetable on that.
“But it’s something that we certainly welcomed. It’s a chance for us to elaborate a little bit and answer questions that many may have and give them some insight, I think, to the questions that they had in front of them. They had a good, thorough list of questions, I can assure that.”
The prevailing message from Thursday’s hour-long press conference is that the Iowa football program has gone through a sudden and dramatic change for the better.
The COVID-19 global pandemic has put most of the sports world on hold, but it hasn’t stopped the Iowa football team from evolving.
Gone are the days in which players reportedly walked on egg shells, and where black players were afraid to be themselves, and to express themselves, in a culture that was dominated by the white majority.
“It’s not like that at all anymore,” said junior linebacker Djimon Colbert, who was one of the three players who spoke at Thursday’s press conference, along with senior receiver Brandon Smith and sophomore center Tyler Linderbaum. “It’s a very open space, very open discussion and very open, honest feelings and honest opinions.”
Ever since former Iowa center and current Chicago Bear James Daniels posted on Twitter in early June that racial disparities were common within the Iowa football team’s culture, a push for more awareness and equality has been occurring.
Chris Doyle was blamed for much of the problems and he has since agreed to a $1.3 million separation, ending a highly successful 21-year reign as the Iowa strength and conditioning coach.
The players and coaches have held several team meetings that have been described as raw and powerful and heated at times.
A new Leadership Group was formed, and first the time under Kirk Ferentz, it consists of more black players than white players.
The players continue to discuss how to handle the National Anthem, and while they remain divided on whether to stand or kneel as a team, the discussions have been healthy and productive, according to Kirk Ferentz.
Colbert said he felt liberated as a black man to have been a part of the protests that occurred in Iowa City last month in the wake of George Floyd’s death on May 25 in Minneapolis.
“Being a black athlete here, you don’t get to face these issues first-hand because you’re more focused about school and your sport,” Colbert said. “So being able to get out there and kind of fight for kind of my ancestors and people before me, too, we’re kind of fighting the same fight.
“So I kind of felt like it was my responsibility, and other guys on the team were out there, too, taking that responsibility in our own hands and be able to have a voice and express our feelings.”
Floyd’s death launched a national movement that became a local story after Daniels kicked open the door with his tweet about racial disparities.
Iowa has been in crisis mode and damage control ever since, and Thursday’s press conference was a chance to tell the media, and more importantly, tell the fans, that steps are being taken to address the accusations and to fix whatever needs to be fixed.
The black players now feel more empowered and more respected within the program.
“A message I would like to send out is if you come to the University of Iowa, your voice, it will be heard and you will be considered like a valuable person to the team,” said Brandon Smith. “What you say and how you feel is valid and it’s important to others.”
The challenge for Iowa is turn an ugly and embarrassing controversy into something positive.
Colbert said he sees signs of that already having occurred as the players become more unified and more respectful of each other.
He thinks the team will ultimately benefit on the field.
“In the weight room, in the locker room, guys being able to open up and not feel uncomfortable with talking to guys who don’t look the same as you and stuff like that,” Colbert said. “It’s been really influential and very easy to easy see how before this all started to now.”
This controversy is far from over, but Thursday’s press conference was a positive moment for Iowa football for a change.
It won’t make the bad stuff go away, but it will make you think that something good can come from it.
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