#pac 12

In the realm of sports, the treatment of black women coaches vs men coaches often falls under the microscope. Their decisions have a profound impact on athletes’ careers. Recently, two high-profile coaching situations have thrust into the spotlight the issue of a double standard for black women coaches vs men coaches. The termination of the Grambling State University volleyball coach, Chelsey Lucas, as reported by ESPN, and the sweeping roster changes orchestrated by Coach Prime Deion Sanders at Colorado, as reported by USA Today, provide compelling examples of the gender disparities experienced by black women and men in coaching roles. As we delve into these cases, we’ll explore the intricate dynamics surrounding the double standard for black women coaches versus men coaches in the sports arena. For more insightful content on community empowerment and unity, we invite you to visit Afrofusionist.com

Chelsey Lucas: A Controversial Decision

Chelsey Lucas, a former Grambling State University volleyball player and 2006 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, was appointed as the head coach of the Grambling State Tigers’ volleyball team in February 2022. However, her tenure was marred by controversy just months after her hiring. Lucas made the unprecedented decision to cut all 12 returning scholarship players from the team, a move that shocked and disappointed many players and fans alike.

Lucas defended her decision, citing NCAA rules that do not guarantee scholarships and argued that coaches have the power to make such changes to advance their programs. Grambling State’s initial support of Lucas’s decision only further fueled the debate. However, it’s essential to note that this decision led to an independent review of the allegations surrounding the program, leaving the situation unresolved.

Deion Sanders: A Roster Overhaul at Colorado

In contrast, Deion Sanders aka Coach Prime, the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team, embarked on a radical roster overhaul in his first year in charge. Sanders, who took the helm after the team’s dismal 1-11 season, wasted no time in making significant changes. This overhaul led to at least 37 scholarship players entering the transfer portal, accounting for 83.5% of the team’s scholarship players.

Sanders justified his decision by comparing it to “cleaning out old furniture” to make room for new recruits. He brought in a substantial number of transfer players, creating a transfer class that ranked number one in the nation. What’s striking is the swiftness and scope of Sanders’ actions, with injured and returning players being shown the door.

The Double Standard Question

The stark difference in the treatment of Chelsey Lucas and Coach Prime in their coaching roles raises questions about whether there is a double standard for black women coaches as opposed to black men coaches. Lucas’s decision to cut scholarship players was met with scrutiny and an ongoing investigation, while Sanders’s massive roster overhaul was largely accepted as a necessary step to improve the team.

It’s important to acknowledge the complexities of each situation and the unique challenges faced by coaches in different sports. However, the contrasting responses to Lucas and Sanders suggest that Black women coaches may encounter more resistance and scrutiny when making bold decisions compared to their male counterparts.

Final Thoughts

This is literally disgusting.

David Cobb at CBS Sports:

Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich has been fired for cause after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and being noncompliant with both state and university policies, the university announced Monday evening. Rolovich sought, and appears to have been denied, a religious exemption from those mandates, which required employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 18 if they wished to continue working.

Four Washington State assistant coaches have also been terminated: Ricky Logo (defensive tackles), John Richardson (assistant head coach, cornerbacks), Craig Stutzmann (co-offensive coordinator, quarterbacks) and Mark Weber (offensive line).

Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will serve as the team's interim coach.

[...]

The saga over Rolovich's vaccination status first took public stage in July when the second-year coach announced he would participate remotely in the Pac-12's football media day. The league required in-person participants to be vaccinated.

"I have elected not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for reasons which will remain private," Rolovich said in a statement at the time.

Rolovich later said he was not "against" vaccinations, adding that he respected and supported "all the work being done by the state of Washington, who as a state has one of the highest percentages of vaccinations in the country." In August, he stated that he planned on following the mandate instituted by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

Even if he were to have received an exemption to the state mandate, Rolovich still faced hurdles at Washington State, which enacted a vaccination requirement for employees before a similar policy for all state employees went into effect.

"It certainly skews the perception of our message," Washington State University president Kirk Schulz told the New York Times. "At most universities, people pay attention to what the university president, the football coach, the basketball coach and the athletic director have to say -- that's just the reality. People look at them for leadership because they're highly visible and highly compensated. It doesn't help when you have people who are contrary to the direction we're going."

Evan Weaver Named Pac-12 Defensive Player Of The Year

Bynum, Curhan, Davis, Deng, Goode, Hawkins And Johnson Also Honored

SAN FRANCISCO – Cal senior inside linebacker Evan Weaver was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches the Pac-12 Conference announced Tuesday. Weaver becomes the eighth Cal player to earn a Player of the Year or Co-Player of the Year honor from the conference and the fifth on the defensive side of the ball joining Chuck Muncie (1975), Ron Rivera (1983, Co-Defensive), Mike Pawlawski (1991, Co-Offensive), Deltha O'Neal (1999, Defensive), Daymeion Hughes (2006, Defensive), Marshawn Lynch (2006, Offensive) and Mychal Kendricks (2011, Defensive). "This award means a lot to me," Weaver said. "It's really special when the coaches of the teams you play against recognize what you are doing on the football field." "Evan loves football as much or more than anyone I've ever coached," Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. "We are so proud of him for earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and joining an elite group of players in our program's history. He has had a truly remarkable season and it is satisfying that the coaches in our conference have recognized that." Weaver was Cal's lone first-team selection while Camryn Bynum (Jr., CB) and Ashtyn Davis (Sr., S) were second-team picks. Jake Curhan (Jr., OL), Kuony Deng (Jr., ILB), Cameron Goode (Jr., OLB), Jaylinn Hawkins (Sr., S) and Zeandae Johnson (Sr., DE/DT) picked up honorable mention selections. Weaver earned his second All-Pac-12 honors after being a second-team selection in 2018. Bynum and Davis were both honorable mention picks last season, while Curhan, Deng, Goode, Hawkins and Johnson were honored for the first time in their careers.

Below are notes from the 2019 season on Cal's All-Pac-12 honorees with extended bios that also include career information available by clicking on each of their names.

Defensive Player Of The Year/First Team

Evan Weaver, ILB, 6-3, 245, Sr., 3L, Spokane, WA (Gonzaga Prep) • Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year • A national honors candidate who is a finalist for the Butkus Award®, Lott IMPACT Trophy and Senior CLASS Award, as well as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award • A nearly unanimous first-team midseason All-American (Associated Press, Athlon Sports, CBS Sports, ESPN, The Athletic, USA Today) and named the midseason's leading candidate for Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and a first-team All-Pac-12 selection by the Bay Area News Group • Has accepted an invitation to play in the 2020 Senior Bowl • Serving as one of three team season captains • Leads the nation in total tackles (school-record and career-high 173), total tackles per game (14.4), solo tackles (95) and solo tackles per game (7.9) • Has 26 more total tackles (second, Dele Harding of Illinois, 147) and 12 more solo tackles (second, Nate Landman, Colorado, 83) than anyone else in the FBS • Within 20 tackles of the all-time NCAA single-season tackle record of 193 set in 14 games by Lawrence Flugence of Texas Tech in 2002 • Has his first three career forced fumbles and ranks tied for second in the Pac-12 and tied for 20th nationally with an average of 0.25 per game while adding a career-high 10.0 tackles for loss (-36 yards), 2.5 sacks (-19 yards), three pass breakups and a career-high five quarterback hurries • Has combined with Kuony Deng (111 tackles) to form the nation's leading FBS duo with 284 tackles that is within 23 tackles of Cal's current school record of 307 by Weaver (159) and Jordan Kunaszyk (148) in 2018 • Has twice equaled Kunaszyk for the most tackles in a single game in Cal's recorded history when he had a career-high-tying 22 at Ole Miss and Utah, adding 0.5 tackles for loss (-2 yards), 0.5 sacks (-2 yards) and a career-high two quarterback hurries against the Rebels while he also had 1.0 tackle for loss (-2 yards) and a career-high-tying one forced fumble against the Utes • Has twice helped secure victories by making stops on the opponents' final offensive play, stuffing Ole Miss' John Rhys Plumlee on a QB sneak from the Cal 1-yard line as time expired to preserve the first Pac-12 victory on the road at an SEC school since 2010 and then combining with Cameron Goode to stop Stanford's Cameron Scarlett on fourth down and one from its' own 34-yard line to lift Cal to its first Big Game victory since 2009

Second Team 

Ashtyn Davis, S, 6-1, 200, R Sr., 3L, Santa Cruz, CA (Santa Cruz HS) • One of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy given annually to the nation's top player who began his collegiate career as a walk-on • Second-team All-Pac-12 • Earned second-team midseason All-American honors from both Athlon Sports and The Athletic, while he was also a first-team All-Pac-12 selection of the Bay Area News Group and second-team choice of SB Nation • Has accepted an invitation to play in the 2020 Senior Bowl • Started all 11 games he played in including each of the first 10 before missing the Big Game at Stanford due to injury but returning to start the season finale at UCLA • Has recorded a career-high 57 tackles to rank fourth on the team, two interceptions that he returned a team-high 31 yards, four pass breakups, six passes defended, a team-high two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles • Fourth in the Pac-12 in per-game fumble recoveries (0.18) while he is tied for eighth in forced fumbles per game (0.18) • Leads the team with seven kick returns for 149 yards and has also seen the first action of his five-year career as a punt returner with two punt returns for 33 yards to total 213 all-purpose yards Camryn Bynum, CB, 6-0, 195, R Jr., 2L, Corona, CA (Centennial HS) • Serving as one of three season captains voted on by his teammates along with Jake Curhan and Evan Weaver • Second-team All-Pac-12 • A first-team midseason All-Pac-12 selection of SB Nation and a second-team pick of the Bay Area News Group • One of eight players and five on the defensive side of the ball to have started all 12 games • Third on the team with a career-high 59 tackles, while also picking up a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss (career-high-tying -5 yards), one interception, seven pass breakups and a team-high-tying eight passes defended

Honorable Mention