More than 1,000 people have signed a petition to get the Gophers head football coach fired.
The MoveOn.com petition, which was started Monday and has garnered 1,183 as of Tuesday morning, focuses on the tweet coach Tracy Claeys sent on Dec. 15 shortly after his players announced they would boycott their Dec. 27 bowl game because the University of Minnesota suspended 10 players for their alleged involvement in a sexual assault.
Have never been more proud of our kids. I respect their rights & support their effort to make a better world! 〽️🏈
— Tracy Claeys (@t_claeys) December 16, 2016
The petition argues that Claeys “failed to mention or acknowledge the importance of respecting women. Further, it did not condemn violence, sexual assault or disrespect of women. We feel this is not at all acceptable.”
“We believe he is not an appropriate representative of the University of Minnesota, or the people of Minnesota,” the petition says. “We urge President Eric Kaler and the Athletics Department to fire him, effective immediately.”
The football team ended their boycott after a few days even though officials wouldn’t reinstate their teammates. The Associated Press spoke to some players and those involved with boycott talks, who said tensions still remain between the Gophers and the University. You can read that story here.
The Gophers will play against Washington State in the National Funding Holiday Bowl Tuesday night.
No charges have been filed in connection to the reported sexual assault, but the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is reviewing the U of M’s investigation.
