ETSU Men’s Basketball Coach, Jason Shay, resigns after facing backlash for allowing his players to kneel for the National Anthem

Players on the East Tennessee University Men’s Basketball team believe that their head coach was forced to resign for allowing them to kneel before basketball games. Jason Shay, hired as the Buccaneers’ head coach last year after five years as an assistant, had just finished a 13-12 season and had two years left on a contract that paid him at least $300,000 annually, including incentives. In a statement released by the university, Shay said he had “decided it is in the best interest of myself, my family and the ETSU men’s basketball program to no longer continue as the head basketball coach.”

Shay had been under great scrutiny throughout the state of Tennessee after he decided to support his players’ kneeling before games as a protest against racial inequality in our country. Tennessee lawmakers started to strongly express their displeasure publicly and that put a lot of pressure on him, as he was then forced to choose between his players and the public. 

U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, a Republican, whose district includes the university, tweeted out that she was disappointed in the ETSU Men’s Basketball team and that their protest was “disrespectful” to veterans. Tennessee State Rep. Scotty Campbell, a Republican, wrote in a since-deleted Feb. 18 tweet quoted by local news outlets: “If it isn’t out of disrespect and they cared about how many of their fans feel they wouldn’t do it during that song. $250k annual salary and can’t see fit to have players respect our anthem as Americans? Disappointing!” 

After the University of Tennessee Women’s basketball team knelt one day after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, there was a letter signed by all 27 members of Congress of the Republican Caucus in the state of Tennessee that called on university presidents across the state system to enact policies to ban on-court protests. “During athletic competitions, our student athletes represent not only themselves, but also our universities and all the citizens of this state, many of whom view this form of protest as offensive and disrespectful,” the letter said.

This pushback continued until it eventually led to Shay’s resignation and his departure has left ETSU Men’s Basketball program in shambles. The university is now looking for a new head coach and six players from the program have decided to enter the transfer portal. “I personally feel like him resigning is crazy,” Truth Harris, a freshman point guard, told ESPN in a telephone interview. “It shows a lot of what is going on in this town, and in this country right now.”

Shay’s departure has gotten the attention of several activist groups including the NAACP. Tavia Sillmon, president of the Johnson City/Washington County NAACP, said in a statement. “It is a sad state of affairs that divisive politics have come into play in a sporting activity that would normally unify a community and that a coach, who worked his way up and truly loved ETSU, cannot stand or ‘kneel’ in solidarity with young men and mentor them on real life issues that they will face far beyond their college years.”