Nebraska Football: Thousands Sign Petition Backing Players’ Protest

By Oliver Vandervoort | Oct 5, 2016

Oct 1, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey (15) and defensive end Ross Dzuris (88) tackle Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Malik Turner (11) in the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Nebraska football players who decided to kneel for the National Anthem during the Northwestern game have come under fire by some state officials.

Michael Rose-Ivey, DaiShon Neal and Mohamed Barry also came under fire from some fans of the program and the players even got some rather vile messages from certain people on social media. When the governor and several of the regents call your actions “disgusting” it’s easy to feel as though you are out there on an island.

Turns out, there is more support for the Nebraska football players who chose to show their displeasure in the way things are going in this country than one might expect. A petition started by a man named Andy Liebman has gotten more attention and more signatures than even the creator expected.

Started on a website called DIY Roots Action, the petition asks for people to sign to show “Support for University of Nebraska football players taking a knee during the national anthem.” It began a week ago and was slow to pick up speed, but once it began getting attention, it got attention in a very big way.

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Three days ago, it hit the 100 signatures mark. Then the petition backing the Nebraska football players hit 500, then 1,000 and up and up. A day ago it surpassed the 5,000 signatures mark. As of this writing, the petition has more than 5,500 signatures with a stated goal of 6,000.

Once all of those signatures have been collected, Liebman has said he will be emailing them to the University of Nebraska president. It should be pointed out that once those signatures are sent, they will be going towards someone who has made it very clear he supports the players’ decision to protest.

Shortly after controversy began swirling around the players and university, thanks in large part to one Regent claiming Rose-Ivey and the others should be kicked off the team, President Hank Bounds issued a statement saying in part:

"“College campuses, as much as any space, must be places where robust, even uncomfortable, debate is welcomed and encouraged. I want every student, faculty and staff member to know that I am unwavering in my support of your right to participate in these dialogues.”"

Another state official who voiced his displeasure at the decision the Nebraska football players made was governor Pete Ricketts. Shortly after Rose-Ivey and the other players explained why they had knelt during the National Anthem at the Northwestern game, Ricketts proclaimed he found the actions disgraceful.

It wasn’t long after that comment that Rose-Ivey took to Twitter to ask Governor Ricketts if the two could meet. The Governor responded by saying he would be happy to meet and discuss the issue. It should be pointed out that so far, it doesn’t appear a meeting has actually been scheduled by the Governor’s office.

Still, even if the Governor Ricketts decides to back out of his pledge and if Hal Daub continues to say inflammatory things without thinking about the repercussions later, it’s clear there is a large swath of Husker fans who understand the importance of supporting these Nebraska football players while they look for ways to make a difference somewhere other than the football field.

Next: Two Nebraska Starters Ruled Out For Indiana

At least that little bit of good has come from all this. It shouldn’t take long for that petition to be sent now.

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