UT Austin footballers say donor anger has led to ‘Eyes of Texas’ mandate

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Athletic officials from the University of Texas told Longhorn footballers in October that they should stay on the field for the game “The Eyes of Texas,” while donors were upset by athletes protesting the tradition of the game day, two Longhorn footballers told The Texas Tribune.

Previously, some student-athletes chose not to participate after multiple competitions, as the song became a hotbed during the summer – especially for black student-athletes – given the historical ties of the alma mater song with the campus minstrel.

According to the soccer players, in a meeting with the players after the game in Oklahoma, athletics officials referred to emails from donors who said the protests could affect their job prospects after they graduate. At least one other player, former defensive linebacker Caden Sterns, made a similar claim in a tweet Monday but did not want to be questioned.

“They said you did not have to sing it. But you have to stay on the field. “You have to go there and at least show fans appreciation for coming out and watching you play,” DeMarvion Overshown, junior linebacker, said in a Tuesday telephone interview.

Athletic director Chris Del Conte said Wednesday he did not hear donors or alumni threatened jobs, adding that he was concerned that players had the impression. He denied that players are forced to stay on the field.

“We simply asked for their help – no one was forced to do so,” he said in a statement.

But the players said the mandate showed them that university officials give donor wishes preference to team members, some of whom have spoken out in opposition during the summer and fall over their rejection of the song.

“It was really an eye-opener,” Overshown said. ‘These are some high-power people who see you playing, and they can prevent you from getting a job in the state of Texas. It was shocking that they said that. To this day, I still think of the moment. They really used it as a threat to try to get us to do what they want us to do. ‘

A second player, who was on the team during the 2020 season, shared a similar memory of the meeting with the Tribune. The player asked not to be named, for fear of retaliation by the university and donors. He said it was Del Conte who told players that donors are unhappy and threatening to withdraw financial support.

‘He kept saying these guys provided it for you. … He mentions: ‘We have donors talking about withdrawing money from the southern zone [stadium addition project], to stop their donations, ‘said the second player.

Overshown did not want to nominate the athletics officials, but the second player said it was former head coach Tom Herman and Del Conte who conveyed the donor sentiments.

Del Conte denied that he made such a statement or that donors conveyed the comments.

‘I never said that to a student-athlete, and I’ve never heard it from donors or alumni. My message has been about unity throughout. I am disappointed when someone else told our student-athletes that they feel that way. It concerns me, “he said in an email. ‘I’ve talked to several student athletes about this and am happy to talk to someone to let them know it’s not true. I have only seen our alumni work to support our student-athletes. ”

Herman, who left the university after being fired in January, could not be reached for comment.

The Dallas Morning News previously reported that students were told to stay on the field for ‘The Eyes’ during the meeting with Del Conte and Herman after the game in Oklahoma, when former fullback Sam Ehlinger made headlines for being on the field alone to stand during the post-match. tradition when players usually sing the alma mater song with fans.

At the time, Del Conte said he was making his expectations clear to players.

‘I do want to make it clear that I have had many conversations with our head coaches in which I set out my expectations that our teams show appreciation for our university, fans and supporters by standing together as a united group for’ The Eyes’ while we work through this issue. Del Conte wrote in his weekly message to fans at the time.

Sterns, the former defensive back, tweeted on Monday that donors threatened the future prospects of players.

“My teammates and I are threatened by some alumni that we will have to find work outside of Texas if we do not participate in it,” he wrote.

Sterns declined to comment on this article, saying he is focused on the NFL concept.

“I have nothing but love for UT and Texas, and just want to help make it a better place as much as possible,” he told the Tribune via direct message on Twitter.

His tweet was in response to a Tribune article revealing that at least 75 alumni and donors had emailed Jay UTT-Austin, President Jay Hartzell, and threatened to receive financial support as the university’s. Eyes of Texas “get rid of.

The song has been at the center of a firestorm since last summer, when athletes and students called on the school to stop singing it after games. The song – played on the tune of “I Work on the Railroad” – has historically been performed on campus ministerial courts, and the title is linked to a saying of Robert E. Lee, commander of the Covenant.

Overshown, who was among the more outspoken players, briefly boycotted the team practice in early July, but returned after UT-Austin announced a series of changes in response to calls from students to improve racial equality on campus.

Emails received by the Tribune in a public record request showed that many alumni, donors and fans were furious about the images of Ehlinger alone after the Oklahoma game for the postgame. The rest of the team withdrew from the field. (Ehlinger later said he only stays on the field alone to talk to coaches.)

“The photos I saw on social media of Sam Ehlinger standing alone after the game with his horns to the battle song made me sick,” one person who identified himself as a 25-year-old season ticket holder told Hartzell writing. UT-Austin diverted their name, citing legislation on public reporting that protects certain donor identities.

‘These young men came to the university to know what was expected of them. One of these things has ALWAYS been to respect the university and its traditions. Love it or leave it. How dare they accept scholarships and despise this university with their pettiness … ”

Several emails sent to the president from June to the end of October demanded that university officials punish students who break tradition.

“You tell the ‘students’ who do not want to play, they are outside the group and let the others play,’ Linden R. Welsch, class of 1969, wrote to Hartzell after it was announced that the Longhorn Band did not want to. plays the alma mater after the football game against Baylor University. ‘It’s the same problem you have with the football team. You let the prisoners drive asylum. You let political correctness / social justice or whatever have taken over and lost control. This is stupid and shows a total lack of leadership. ”

Welsch, who calls the alumni magazine Alcalde a ‘donor of a university member’, told the Tribune the email summed up his concerns and he did not comment further.

Hartzell released a statement Tuesday morning in response to the Tribune’s article on the donor email.

“People who target our students with hateful views do not represent the values ​​of the Longhorn community,” he said. ‘Some extremist views in the example of emails reported by Texas Tribune do not address the 540,000 proud Longhorn alumni who actively support our students and university. Out of the many emails I received this fall, a very small number of comments included really disgusting and hateful ones. I reject them categorically, and they have no bearing on any aspect of our decision making. ”

“The fact that we do not all agree on our school song does not mean that we do not all belong.”

Of the 300 emails sent to the president’s office between June and October, only 11 explicitly encouraged Hartzell to get rid of the song from the school. About 70% pleaded and demanded that the song remain. The rest did not express an opinion to remove or retain the song.

Connor O’Neill, senior associate of UT-Austin, a co-director of the Longhorn Athletic Agency, a group that gives student-athletes a voice in the student government, said student leaders are largely dissatisfied with Hartzell’s statement.

“President Hartzell basically said it’s just a few thousand supporters, but the issue there is that you know that the few people are the ones with a lot of power,” he said. “It’s the donors who give millions of dollars and those who say ‘keep quiet and dribble.’ “

Hartzell said the Eyes of Texas History Committee, which is organized to study the song’s history, will release its report next week. He said the university community could continue the conversation about the song if it “is equipped with a general set of facts.”

Two weeks after the team meeting last October, Texas Longhorns Baylor University in Austin played and won. After the game, the entire team walks to the fan section to listen while a sound recording of “The Eyes of Texas” is played. The Longhorn Band could not find enough members to play the necessary instruments, a controversy that spurred another spate of angry donor emails.

For Overshown, it was again a moment of clarity to stand on the field after the Baylor game.

“It made me realize what money people would make here,” Overshown said. “The fact that someone said they have our backs 100%, and yet it’s about money and the donors and what they want, is a very different story.”

While the song is playing, he takes a knee.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin and Baylor University were financial backers of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization funded in part by donations from members, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of these.