Gophers Football Players End Boycott, Will Play in Holiday Bowl

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The University of Minnesota football players ended their boycott Saturday morning and announced they will begin preparations to play in the Holiday Bowl. The team said they ended the boycott of the Dec. 27 bowl game, which began Thursday, after realizing their original request of having the suspensions of 10 of their players overturned was not going to happen.

The suspensions were the result of a university investigation into an alleged sexual assault.

After a criminal investigation this fall resulted in no arrests or criminal charges in the case, the university's office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action filed a report this week that recommended five players be expelled, four suspended for a year and one placed on probation, the Pioneer Press reported.

Senior wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky read a statement from the players during a press conference Saturday morning, saying: "As a team, we understand that what has occurred these past few days, and playing football for the University of Minnesota, is larger than just us."

Sources told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that late Friday night, players left the Gophers football complex after meeting with university President Eric Kaler and other school officials believing that the team would boycott the bowl. However, players continued to discuss amongst themselves through the night before coming to their decision to end the boycott.

"After many hours of discussion within our team, and after speaking with President Kaler, it became clear that our original request of having the 10 suspensions overturned was not going to happen," the statement read.

"We now ask that you, the members of the media, our fans, and the general public hold all of us accountable for ensuring that our teammates are treated fairly, along with any and all victims of sexual assault. We also ask that the public dialogue related to the apparent lack of due process in a university system is openly discussed and evaluated."

Among the players that was suspended is Antoine Winfield Jr., the son of former Minnesota Vikings player Antoine Winfield Sr. After the team announced its boycott Thursday, Winfield Sr. told the Star Tribune: "If the president and athletic director keep their jobs, my son, Antoine Winfield Jr., will not attend the University of Minnesota."

Head coach Tracy Claeys, who tweeted support for the players after the boycott began Thursday night, did not attend Saturday's press conference.

"As football players, we know that we represent this University and this state and that we are held to a higher standard," the teams' statement continued. "We want to express our deepest gratitude to our coaching staff and so many others for their support during this difficult time, and we hope that our fans and community understand why we took the actions that we did."

"Our thoughts and prayers are for the well-being of the woman involved in the original incident, and for our 10 teammates to ensure that they are treated fairly. We look forward to representing the University of Minnesota and the state of Minnesota in the Holiday Bowl in a way that makes all of you proud."

Both Kaler and athletic director Mark Coyle said Saturday they were thankful the football team came to a resolution.

Image via A Syn, Flickr, used under Creative Commons