'Everybody has a voice': South Dakota athletes, coaches speak up amid protests

Matt Zimmer
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Former SDSU running back Mikey Daniel talked about racism and reactions to national protests.

As the national protests over the death of George Floyd made their way to South Dakota over the weekend, the state’s sports figures watched intently. South Dakota is one of the whitest states in the U.S., with 86.5 percent of the population made up of non-Hispanic whites, but the sports arena is one of the few areas where some diversity exists.

For black athletes in South Dakota, who play almost exclusively for white coaches in front of white fans, protests against police misconduct and racism have sparked emotion during what was already a politically charged era.

For much of the last few years, players and coaches on both sides of the political aisle have mostly let their differences exist below the surface. Politics and current events are rarely addressed on social media, instead replaced by feel-good messages about tolerance, coexistence and putting differences aside for the pursuit of a common goal.

But as both peaceful protests and acts of vandalism dominate the nation’s consciousness, more and more players, athletes and administrators here in South Dakota are speaking up.

Former SDSU running back Mikey Daniel talked about racism and reactions to national protests.

Mikey Daniel, a running back from Brookings who played at South Dakota State and signed with the Atlanta Falcons, has been increasingly vocal in recent weeks. He’s challenged his friends and fans to listen to him and others like him just as much when they talk about their experiences as black Americans as they do when he’s scoring touchdowns.

“I’m not with all the looting and the rioting and the destroying of communities – I’m not,” Daniel said. “But the people making such a big deal about the looting and destroying of communities are the same people that are saying let’s protest peacefully, and are the exact same people that when Colin Kaepernick was peacefully taking a knee, using his platform to spread awareness throughout the country about what’s really going on and things that we battle with every single day, those same people wanted to have an issue with that and flip the narrative talking about, ‘Oh, well, we’re disrespecting America, we’re disrespecting the flag, we’re disrespecting veterans.' It had nothing to do with any of that, and everything to do with the war on race. The same people that are doing that talking are the same people that told LeBron James to shut up and dribble.”

Daniel’s former SDSU teammate, Cade Johnson, posted an illustration of Floyd superimposed over a Black Lives Matter flag as his Twitter background photo, and offered his thoughts on the Minneapolis tragedy and its aftermath.

SDSU's Cade Johnson celebrates after a touchdown during the game against USD Saturday, Nov. 17, at Dana Dykhouse Stadium stadium in Brookings.

“As others have weighed in on (Floyd) it has really left me feeling confused, angry, and quite sad,” wrote Johnson, who grew up in Nebraska. “My mother and father have always preached these things when raising us. I’m proud to be an American, but I pray the Lord shines his light in times like these. In life it’s called standing up for what you believe in. Everybody has a voice. If you don’t like what’s going on and what people are doing to stand up for what they believe in, you are the problem.”

SDSU’s coach, John Stiegelmeier, is a 63-year-old white man from rural South Dakota. But in his 20-plus years as the Jacks coach Stiegelmeier has made efforts to continue to diversify his staff and create an inclusive team atmosphere in which players feel free to celebrate their individuality. SDSU had a team meeting Sunday night to share feelings about the protests.

“We had a special team meeting last night with a number of our black coaches and athletes speaking from the heart,” Stiegelmeier said on Twitter. “It was powerful. There is a solution to any problem. We each need to do what we can to be part of the solution. Doing nothing is doing nothing. Start with love.”

Chris Johnson led USF to the NSIC South title this year

Christian Smith is one of SDSU’s black coaches, and in a long statement posted on his Twitter account, the Jacks’ defensive line coach related his experiences with racism as a youth and how it shaped him as a person and now as a coach.

“How do we move forward as a country and stop ignoring the racial issues that make everyone uncomfortable? Every individual needs to be seen as the person they are, and not just what they look like,” Smith said. “The black community has always felt inferior or viewed differently and history has repeated itself. The reaction to George Floyd is a cry for help and awareness for things not changing. A lot of hurt, sadness, pain and anger has led us to where we are today. I fully support peaceful protest for the cause of change and we can do that together.”

Many white coaches and athletes have expressed empathy for the cause as well, showing support for their black teammates and colleagues while acknowledging their role and their own privileged perspective.

South Dakota State Jackrabbits head coach John Stiegelmeier applauds the student section after his team won their FCS Championship quarterfinal game on Dec. 9, 2017 in Brookings, S.D. South Dakota State beat New Hampshire 56-14.

“I will never truly understand what it is like to be a person of color but I am still heartbroken, sad and angry about what has happened in my hometown,” USF basketball coach Chris Johnson tweeted as civil unrest broke out in Minneapolis last week. “Not interested in excuses, ideologies, etc. Be better. Value all life – period.”

USD offensive line coach Andrew Prevost vowed to be more aggressive in speaking out after the Coyote staff had a team meeting to hear each other’s thoughts.

“It was humbling to hear our student-athletes speak about the turmoil that is going on in our country regarding racial inequality. I want to say sorry for not speaking up earlier,” Prevost wrote. “As a leader I have a responsibility to address this. It angers me that we can’t figure out how to educate ourselves and treat each other. There is a difference between right and wrong and what is going on in our country is inherent racism and is wrong. I commit to you that I will do everything in my power to further people’s understanding of the injustice going on. I commit to you that I will speak up when I hear something that is wrong. I will stand with you.”

Current Nebraska and former USD women's basketball coach Amy Williams.

Coaches are parents, too, and the current turmoil has them reflecting on how to educate at home as well as in the locker room. Former USD women’s basketball coach Amy Williams, now at Nebraska, addressed that concern in her own social media message.

“I have cried a lot of tears, prayed a lot, but mostly I have been listening,” Williams said. “Listening to my husband describe how he feels when he is the subject of unjust suspicion. Listening to some of my best friends describe the fear they have raising their beautiful black sons in today’s world. Listening to the players I have been blessed to coach discuss their experiences as black women living among today’s social injustices. Listening to my daughters ask questions about what the color of their skin could cause them to face in their futures.

While the protests will eventually end and Floyd's case may finally see justice, those speaking out want to make sure their messages aren't forgotten later on.

"I tell white people protesting and marching –thank you," Daniel said. "We see that. But I hope to God that it's not just a show, not just a thing people are doing and you want to fit in. You have to take that and live that. There's a war on race and that's lived daily, it's not just a one-time thing. This is a movement that needs to continue to grow and evolve every single day."