On Wednesday, the NBA made a statement in its players’ fight against racial injustice by refusing to play – a movement later joined by other professional leagues across the country.

More games and practices have been called off since, as athletes are using their platform to demand change and encourage discussion. Western Kentucky’s football team did not practice Thursday and instead held a team meeting.

“We had a team meeting this afternoon regarding the current events in our country. We had very constructive conversation among our players and coaches,” WKU head coach Tyson Helton said in a statement. “I made the decision to call off tonight’s practice so our current focus could remain on these issues. We will plan to get back on the field tomorrow and continue having these important conversations as a team going forward.”

WKU opened fall practices Aug. 17 and is scheduled to open the season Sept. 12 at Louisville. The Hilltoppers did not practice Monday because of the first day of classes and Wednesday’s practice was cut short due to lightning.

The NBA’s movement began when the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the floor for a playoff game against the Orlando Magic, starting the boycott of games to protest the shooting Sunday by police in Kenosha, Wis. – a city roughly 40 miles south of Milwaukee – of Jacob Blake, a Black man. The 29-year-old Blake was shot seven times in the back. Blake’s family’s attorney said Tuesday he was paralyzed and it would “take a miracle” for him to walk again.

Wednesday’s two other NBA playoff games were not played, and three WNBA games, three MLB games and five MLS matches were also not played. Joining WKU in the state in calling off practice was the University of Kentucky football team.

“The football team decided to leave the practice field and are meeting right now to discuss more ways to promote their influence and be a part of effective change,” UK said in a statement.

Earlier this summer, several NBA players were unsure if they would even travel to Disney to play in the bubble, believing it would take the attention off the deaths of – among several others – Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Taylor was a 26-year-old Black woman fatally shot by police officers March 13 when they burst into her apartment in Louisville using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee into his neck for nearly eight minutes while Floyd was handcuffed.

Protests surrounding racial injustice and police brutality in America have been ongoing throughout the summer, and WKU officials say they have tried to keep an open dialogue within the athletic department.

“This is obviously a very challenging time for our country and emotions are running high. We all recognize that. Really, what we’re doing is supporting our athletes in every way we can and knowing that we’re here for them, obviously as an administration, but also as a coaching staff,” WKU athletics director Todd Stewart said Thursday in a Zoom conference with reporters. “… I feel like the dialogue is really good at every level – player to player, player to coach and the administration is certainly here for them, and that’s really what we’re doing right now.”

WKU defensive coordinator Clayton White spoke about the Black Lives Matter movement in episode 17 of WKU’s “Beyond The Hill” podcast, which was released July 6. He said Helton made an emphasis for the coaching staff to reach out to check on players and keep an open dialogue, especially because many were away from campus during that time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The players knew that we cared and we really do care. Our staff – we have these conversations ourselves,” White said on the podcast. “… We tried to let them know that we care and I feel you – I feel your pain, and I let them know how I felt. I told my guys I cried a couple days this week because of this stuff and I want them to understand that I’m there with them. That’s kind of how those conversations really went.”

White – who said on the podcast he had talked with more police officers this summer than in his entire life and said “it’s a really hard profession, but I understand there has to be some accountability when things get reckless” – expressed hope that many things would come with the Black Lives Matter movement, including increased education about racial inequality, increased respect for people regardless of religion, background or political beliefs, and an increase in fair treatment in courts.

“And last but not least,” White said on the podcast, “people need to understand that change is very hard, but growth comes after change and that’s always good.”{&end}