MU Athlete Actions Lead to Legislation

A Republican lawmaker in the Missouri house of representatives has proposed a bill that aims to strip scholarships from college athletes (including MU athletes) who refuse to play for non-health related issues.

The bill comes a month after University of Missouri president Tim Wolfe resigned under pressure from students and activists over a lack of responsiveness to racist incidents on campus. The university’s football team had said it would refuse to play until Wolfe stepped down.

The bill sponsors didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But one of the sponsors, state representative Kurt Bahr, told the Columbia Missourian the bill was “obviously in reaction to the athletes who were saying they weren’t going to play to what they considered to be social issues on campus”.

“I don’t think that is an appropriate response on their part,” Bahr said.

According to the pre-filed bill, if it is enacted, 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”. Additionally, the bill continues, “any member of a coaching staff who encourages or enables a college athlete to engage in behavior” prohibited under the bill “shall be fined by his or her institution of employment”.

Read more here: Bill Would Strip Scholarships