Players saying the AD Del Conte was the one who passed on the job threats:
The football players said the athletics officials, in a meeting with the players after the Oklahoma game, referenced emails from donors who said the protests could impact their job prospects after graduating.
www.texastribune.org
Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said Wednesday he had not heard donors or alumni had threatened job opportunities, adding that he was concerned that players had that impression. He denied players were forced to stay on the field.
“We simply asked for their help — no one was forced or required to do so,” he said in a statement.
But the players said the mandate showed them that university officials prioritized donor wishes over the members of the team, some of whom had been vocal in the opposition over the summer and fall about their rejection of the song.
“It was really eye opening,” Overshown said. “These are some high-power people that come to see you play and they can keep you from getting a job in the state of Texas. It was shocking that they said that. To this day I still think back to the moment. They really used that as a threat to get us to try to do what they wanted us to do.”
A second player, who was on the team during the 2020 season, shared a similar recollection of the meeting with the Tribune. That player asked not to be named, for fear of retribution by the university and donors. He said it was Del Conte who told players that donors were unhappy and threatening to pull financial support.
“He kept saying these guys provide this for you. ... He was mentioning, ‘We have donors talking about pulling out money from the south end zone [stadium addition project], stopping their donations,’ the second player said.
Overshown declined to name the athletic officials, but the second player said it was former head coach Tom Herman and Del Conte who relayed the donor sentiments.