As the controversy over the University of Texas school song rages, one player said he was threatened by alumni of the university over his refusal to participate.
‘The Eyes of Texas’, which is traditionally sung after home games, has been under fire over the past few months over concerns that the song and tradition behind it are riddled with racism. Over the past few days, the controversy has flared up again after a report in the Texas Tribune revealed that alumni threatened to withhold donations from the university if students did not participate and called them, among other things, ‘snowflakes’.
Caden Sterns, who started three years in safety for the Longhorns, added the controversy revealing on Twitter that he too was threatened by alumni over the song.
“My teammates and I are threatened by some alumni that we will have to get jobs outside of Texas if we do not participate,” Sterns wrote.
The song has ties to Confederate General Robert E. Lee and minstrel shows, which are the comic version of racial stereotypes. The University of Texas band is not playing the song for the last two home games of the soccer team.
Sterns was a member of the All-Big 12 First Team in 2018 and will participate in the 2021 Draft NFL Draft. He is expected to be a late choice pick.