LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Two university regents and the governor are voicing their opposition to three Nebraska football players protesting racial injustice and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem.
Nebraska coach Mike Riley says he expects Michael Rose-Ivey to represent himself well when he meets with Gov. Pete Ricketts, who criticized Rose-Ivey and two other players for kneeling during the national anthem at last weekend’s game.
Exactly what Rose-Ivey and Ricketts will discuss is unclear. Gov. Ricketts called the protest “disgraceful” and “disrespectful.”
Rose-Ivey, Mohamed Barry and DaiShon Neal each took a knee as the anthem played before Saturday’s game at Northwestern.
Regents Hal Daub of Omaha and Jim Pillen of Columbus said Tuesday the three used poor judgment. Daub said it wasn’t the place for a “Colin Kaepernick cloning situation.”
Rose-Ivey said Monday that he, Barry and Neal joined San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Kaepernick and other athletes who have protested unfair treatment of blacks in the United States.