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Syracuse head coach Dino Babers on Tuesday discussed his comments on the recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in his first media appearance in four months.

One day after releasing a statement on the killings of Floyd, Arbery and Taylor, Babers dissected his recent conversations with SU. He also touched on recruitment strategies following Syracuse’s decision to bring about 65 players back to campus on Tuesday for voluntary workouts after COVID-19 tests. 

Here are some takeaways from his first press conference since February. 

Babers details process to releasing statement

Babers is notoriously soft-spoken when it comes to racial issues — he wants to be viewed as a football coach, not a Black coach. During the #NotAgainSU protests in November, Babers chose not to speak publicly and to instead discuss the events with his team behind closed doors. But after what’s happened these past few weeks, Babers released a statement Wednesday.

On a ‘baby’ Zoom call with several players, he recognized his role as a Black coach, Babers said.

“That was hard for me to do. I had never done anything like that in 34 years,” Babers said of his statement. “When I had a mini Zoom call with all the young men … and they expressed how important it was that I get out there and say something, they brought me to tears.”

He has not yet had the opportunity to discuss the issue with the entire team. Multiple SU players have previously spoken about racial injustices, including junior All-American safety Andre Cisco, who wore white cleats marked with “#NotAgainSU” in November. 

“Everyone wants to be heard, but I want to be listened to,” Babers said.

Yes to kneeling, Yes to practice on election day

Many professional players have already come forth to say they will kneel during the national anthem this fall. If a Syracuse player opts to do so, Babers and the SU athletic department said they will not stop them. 

“I’m going to always support my players,” Babers said. “They can do basically whatever the constitution allows them to do.”

He expressed the same sentiment during #NotAgainSU’s protests on campus in November. Both Babers and Director of Athletics John Wildhack have said they’ll allow players to use their First Amendment rights to express concerns about systematic racism.

Babers would not confirm whether he would cancel practice on election day — like ACC opponent Georgia Tech did —  to encourage players to vote. While he didn’t rule out the possibility of pushing back practice until after the polls close, the SU head coach used the oft-quoted phrase, ‘The games you remember are the ones in November.”

During Babers’ tenure, SU has a record of 5-11 in November, partially contributing to his lone bowl appearance as head coach of the Orange. Abandoning practice outright on a Tuesday could continue that trend, Babers said.

“I can tell you right now that they’re going to have an opportunity to vote,” he said. “They’re going to have to get someone on the team to really twist my arm if we’re not going to practice on a Tuesday.”

Recruiting visits most likely to not continue

The COVID-19 pandemic has not halted Syracuse’s plans to recruit. Ten players in the class of 2021 and one in the class of 2020 have committed to Syracuse in the past four months, and most have never set foot on campus for an official visit. SU has instead relied upon virtual tours, phone calls and mailing to entice high schooler recruits. Babers doesn’t see that trend ending any time soon, even as voluntary workouts resume. 

“I’m anticipating that we will not bring young men from all across the country to campus,” Babers said. “It’s kind of going back to old school.” 

Instead, the coaching staff will rely on watching hours of tape and calling high school coaches and other local experts who have seen prospective players on the field. Syracuse’s 2021 class is ranked last in the ACC, according to 247sports.com. Without combines and visits, Babers is not denying the difficulty of the process. 

“We feel really good about where we’re at in the recruiting process,” Babers said.

Published on June 11, 2020 at 11:41 am

Contact Adam: [email protected] | @_adamhillman