‘There is a real problem in the U.S.’: Mizzou’s Drinkwitz on shooting of Jacob Blake
Missouri Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz didn’t mince words in his opening statement Wednesday when talking about the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The first-year coach admitted he “wasn’t as aware of the situation as he needed to be” when asked about it Tuesday. He then came back Wednesday to address the situation, adding he was “disappointed” by the frequency of such events in the U.S.
“We gotta keep bringing attention because there is a real problem in the United States of America,” Drinkwitz said. “Abraham Lincoln said we’re striving to become a more perfect union. We’re not there yet. The atrocities that have occurred — on video tape — in the last three months, it’s not right.”
Blake was shot seven times Sunday in the most recent example of police brutality against Black people. Protests have continued in Kenosha since and re-ignited across the nation.
NBA players went on strike Wednesday in the middle of the playoffs, not taking the court to condemn and protest racial inequality. The movement was started by the Milwaukee Bucks, who normally play about 40 miles away from Kenosha. All of Wednesday’s NBA playoff games were postponed.
Drinkwitz said they haven’t had specific conversations about Blake’s shooting. The Tigers, though, have made a stand.
When protests urging social change blazed across the nation over the summer, the Mizzou football team held its own peaceful march from The Columns to the Boone County Courthouse. It ended with 62 student-athletes registering to vote.
“I feel for my football team,” Drinkwitz said. “I feel for our coaches. I was sitting with one of my coaches today while we were seeing it on ESPN and just the pain. We’ve got to make reform. We’ve got to address the issues so that this does not continue to happen. I want to be part of the solution. Our football team wants to be part of the solution.”
Drinkwitz said MU has launched several programs throughout the summer to “bring awareness and promote change in a positive way,” including career development curricula for players.
“We’re going to represent Mizzou in the right way,” Drinkwitz said. “But we’re also going to bring awareness to the situation. There needs to be conversation about change. You gotta have conversations and everybody’s gotta open their heart to have those conversations — me included.
“You’ve gotta open your heart and say, ‘What am I missing? What is going on here?’ So that’s what we’re going to do.”
COVID-19 update
While some athletic programs across the nation have struggled with COVID-19 outbreaks, Mizzou seems to be doing a relatively solid job of keeping case numbers down.
Drinkwitz said the Tigers currently have five players in quarantine. Two tested positive for the novel coronavirus; three are in quarantine because they’d been in contact with someone who had COVID.
Mizzou went through another round of surveillance testing Wednesday, Drinkwitz said. He reiterated that the next two weeks continue to be crucial as the Tigers march toward a planned Sept. 26 kickoff.
Some other schools are dealing with major problems. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said he’s had one entire positional group — save one player in that group — contract COVID.
LSU reportedly had a similar situation. Aside from four players, the Tigers’ entire offensive line tested positive for the virus.
Drinkwitz jokingly asked if he could play LSU tomorrow, instead of in the third week of the 2020 season as scheduled.
“We have not had an entire position group wiped out,” Drinkwitz said. “I know we do a dadgum good job inside the building. These guys have to do a good job outside the building.”