Hlas: Even Iowa's football people see protests differently

IOWA CITY — The approaches our state's two biggest college football programs have about making social statements are different.

At Iowa State, senior wide receiver Allen Lazard tweeted the following Saturday in response to President Trump's Friday night comment in Alabama wishing NFL owners would fire players who kneel during the national anthem:

'Never have I ever been ashamed to be American. It's disgusting to have the leader of the 'free world' like this. #TakeAKnee

Never have I ever been ashamed to be American. It's disgusting to have the leader of the "free world" like this. #TakeAKnee https://t.co/HKDDUUr8iN

— Cinco LD3™ (@AllenLazard)

Some people responded to Lazard with support of his statement. Others blasted him.

An Iowa State graduate of 30-some years ago tweeted this to him: 'People that have been blessed with talent to play football should do just that and stay out of politics!'

To which Lazard answered 'God bless you.'

Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell's response to Lazard's remark probably mattered more to the player than a tweet from a stranger. It was 'I don't have an issue with our guys taking a stance in what they believe in.'

Campbell also said 'Whatever our guys do, you hope it's unified, you hope it's powerful.'

There wasn't a hint of a single player protesting on Iowa's Kinnick Stadium sideline during the national anthem last Saturday night before the Hawkeyes played Penn State, nor is there likely to be one at Iowa's games to come.

Tuesday, Iowa senior running back Akrum Wadley said 'I don't really get into that. There's a lot of things going on. I try to worry about what's going on in here.

'I feel like if you have those beliefs or you want to make a difference, you should get involved in the community. We've got guys on the team that's really committed to what we're trying to get accomplished, like a Big Ten championship.'

There will be no politically themed tweets by Hawkeyes, either, because Twitter is off-limits to them while they are Iowa players.

Ferentz's view of football is that it should be politics-free, and avoidable distractions are to be avoided.

'I see the world a lot differently, I guess,' he said Tuesday.

'As you talk to people, former players, just about every one of them will mention what they miss is just the camaraderie, the singleness of purpose, that type of thing. It's a really unique time in someone's life if you're an athlete. To me, that's the beauty of it all.

'My preference is we keep politics to our individual time. That's how I look at it. ... We work with college-aged students. Certainly we encourage them to grow, and be curious and ask questions. To me, that's healthy. As long as you're alive you should be doing that. But this is the one time we put everything aside. We all dress alike, act alike, and we're trying to do the same thing. Whatever they do on campus is great, as long as it's not illegal or immoral. I'm all for it.'

Is it a paradox that a football program, the most-visible entity at a state university that presumably promotes critical thinking and reasoned debate, would discourage its players from making statements when they would be most-seen?

Ferentz also said this: 'Go do something that could really make a difference. Go do community service. Go to an activist rally. Go listen and find out what candidates are really about, and go vote.

More: Big Ten coaches address national anthem protests

'If you really want to do something, do something. But some things are just way too easy. I think in a lot of cases people just kind of follow the crowd. I think it happens way too much sometimes. I'm not accusing anybody in this moment of time of doing that, but it's just kind of been history. Use your own mind.'

'Use your own mind' is actually pretty great advice.

Elsewhere, last month before an NFL preseason game, Iowa linebacker Christian Kirksey led 16 Cleveland Browns teammates in silent prayer during the national anthem in the aftermath of the racially divisive march in Charlottesville, Va., Kirksey said it was a prayer for the country done with respect in mind.

Last Saturday, Kirksey tweeted these two different thoughts, the first a few hours before Iowa's game against Penn State, the other after the game:

'Presidency is a very bad joke'

'Proud of my Hawks.

Presidency is a very bad joke https://t.co/RWkPVEhZOu

— Christian Kirksey (@Kirksey)

Proud of my Hawks

— Christian Kirksey (@Kirksey)