” Two days after the first game played on the University of Akron’s campus, UA had its first picketer outside InfoCisicon Stadium’s gates. Monday, Sidney Richards walked back and forth in front of the stadium brandishing a homemade sign that read: Akron Exploits Black Athletes.”
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Two days after the first game played on the University of Akron’s campus, UA had its first picketer outside InfoCisicon Stadium’s gates.

Monday, Sidney Richards walked back and forth in front of the stadium brandishing a homemade sign that read: Akron Exploits Black Athletes.

Richards, who is upset with the university for not employing enough black coaches, also said that the money being made by UA athletic programs through black athletes is not being dispersed equally.

Richards described how this is happening at other colleges around the country as well, including Auburn University.

In 2008, Auburn University hired head football coach Gene Chizik who is white, over black coach Turner Gill.

During this time, Auburn alumni and former NBA player Charles Barkley was quoted in espn.com saying, You can say it’s not about race, but you can’t compare the two resumes and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume.

Richards, who said he is making his stand at UA, believes that there is an ongoing issue here.

They [UA Athletics Department] are showing a lack of respect by not coming out here and asking what my concerns are, Richards said.

When asked if he pickets often, he said that he has picketed UA at various times for years and that he plans to stay out there until he gets his point across.

Before continuing his picket on Exchange Street, Richards asked the question, Why does the NFL have so many Black coaches but the NCAA has so few?

In January of this year, Dave George, a columnist for the Palm Beach Post, said that currently in the NFL there are six teams out of 32 with black head coaches and seven black college coaches at 120 major schools.

Last year, Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, became the second black coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl.

Tom Wistrcill, UA Director of Athletics, was unavailable to comment.

Call news writer Nicholas Benson:

330-972-7362

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https://www.buchtelite.com

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