Has Bloomgren made any statements regarding the current state of things? I've only looked on here and Twitter. I haven't seen anything. He's retweeted other people's stuff but he hasn't produced anything. Going to be dead honest that really does speak volumes to me as a black man and father of two athletes. If he has then that's great but if he hasn't why hasn't anyone from the rice community said anything?

I'm pretty sure I saw a tweet from him toward the beginning of the protests. He, Pera, Langley and the soccer coach all posted similar tweets, and they also retweeted with comments Karlgaard's tweet on the subject.

(06-06-2020 02:20 AM)nightowl24 Wrote:  Has Bloomgren made any statements regarding the current state of things? I've only looked on here and Twitter. I haven't seen anything. He's retweeted other people's stuff but he hasn't produced anything. Going to be dead honest that really does speak volumes to me as a black man and father of two athletes. If he has then that's great but if he hasn't why hasn't anyone from the rice community said anything?

There’s definitely been a lot of people active on social media from the Rice community after the George Floyd death.

As Walt mentioned, I’ve seen stuff Karlgaard, Leebron, Langley, Pera, Brian Lee, and others.

But yes, as you mentioned, I don’t believe Bloomgren has released his own statement.

Can you direct me to his comments I'm having a hard time finding them. I have found pera, langley, and karlgaard. Having trouble with bloomgren's. Thanks

(06-06-2020 08:03 AM)nightowl24 Wrote:  Can you direct me to his comments I'm having a hard time finding them. I have found pera, langley, and karlgaard. Having trouble with bloomgren's. Thanks

I don’t believe he’s made a public statement as you stated.

I don’t really understand why he needs to make a public statement as long as he’s in good communication with his players and recruits. As people have pointed out he’s been active on Twitter and the program seems to have a good culture right now so I’d assume he’s talking to players.

Much better than doing something stupid like this:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.co...atform=amp

(06-06-2020 07:53 AM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(06-06-2020 02:20 AM)nightowl24 Wrote:  Has Bloomgren made any statements regarding the current state of things? I've only looked on here and Twitter. I haven't seen anything. He's retweeted other people's stuff but he hasn't produced anything. Going to be dead honest that really does speak volumes to me as a black man and father of two athletes. If he has then that's great but if he hasn't why hasn't anyone from the rice community said anything?

There’s definitely been a lot of people active on social media from the Rice community after the George Floyd death.

As Walt mentioned, I’ve seen stuff Karlgaard, Leebron, Langley, Pera, Brian Lee, and others.

But yes, as you mentioned, I don’t believe Bloomgren has released his own statement.

Yes I've seen those I've retweeted them. I've liked and retweeted the Rice Black Life Fund. But I was looking for bloomgren and couldn't find anything.

(06-06-2020 09:26 AM)cr11owl Wrote:  I don’t really understand why he needs to make a public statement as long as he’s in good communication with his players and recruits. As people have pointed out he’s been active on Twitter and the program seems to have a good culture right now so I’d assume he’s talking to players.

Much better than doing something stupid like this:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.co...atform=amp

If you don't understand why he needs to... well friend that's a problem as well.

(06-06-2020 11:36 AM)nightowl24 Wrote:  

(06-06-2020 09:26 AM)cr11owl Wrote:  I don’t really understand why he needs to make a public statement as long as he’s in good communication with his players and recruits. As people have pointed out he’s been active on Twitter and the program seems to have a good culture right now so I’d assume he’s talking to players.

Much better than doing something stupid like this:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.co...atform=amp

If you don't understand why he needs to... well friend that's a problem as well.

It looks like the university may be going with a single consolidated message. I haven't seen much deviation from the few statements made university wide from anyone associated with the university. would be interesting to understand more.

(06-06-2020 11:36 AM)nightowl24 Wrote:  

(06-06-2020 09:26 AM)cr11owl Wrote:  I don’t really understand why he needs to make a public statement as long as he’s in good communication with his players and recruits. As people have pointed out he’s been active on Twitter and the program seems to have a good culture right now so I’d assume he’s talking to players.

Much better than doing something stupid like this:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.co...atform=amp

If you don't understand why he needs to... well friend that's a problem as well.

Of course, virtue signaling on social media is much more important than actually doing things in the community or supporting people you know.

(06-06-2020 09:26 AM)cr11owl Wrote:  I don’t really understand why he needs to make a public statement as long as he’s in good communication with his players and recruits. As people have pointed out he’s been active on Twitter and the program seems to have a good culture right now so I’d assume he’s talking to players.

Much better than doing something stupid like this:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.co...atform=amp

+1

This is about what I expected. Not much has changed. Want to know why we lose out on recruits? the thought of rice being elitist(racist) is why a lot of families don't send them. My parents and grandparents really wanted to make sure rice is where I wanted to go because of the racial overtones for years associated with this school.

There is a chance to be a part of a concerted effort to clearly show everyone where rice with regard to every single coach stands. His silence speaks volumes to my community. The needle has moved and being silent isn't being accepted by my community.

And as fans you should be asking this same questions. UT is on get up now, why because their coach made s strong statement "And if you're going to cheer them and love them for 3½ hours a Saturday in the fall, you better have the same feelings for them off the field, because they're human beings. They deserve the same amount of respect and human rights that all of us do in this country when we agreed on the social contract to be a member of the United States" as a parent i respect the fact he's saying what he's saying.

The reason why is because I can now hold him accountable to his words. He HAS to come through with the support of those words. Bloomgren isn't being held to a standard because he isn't saying anything. Again the black community is tired of silence.

If this post eliminates my son from their recruiting list, again if rather know now what we're dealing with.

I always have tried to help my school. I'm going to give them a public tip. I have had ongoing conversations with other parents of athletes being recruited. We all are asking a series of questions to coaches that contact us. 1. What have you publicly said about the current situation in America? 2. What is your plan to address the systemic racial issues on your campus? 3. What are you plans with regard to my sons safety in coming to your campus and more importantly the CITY in which your school is in?

These are questions that every school that recruits my son HAS to answer. Your answer or lack thereof means a lot to my family. If you don't understand that as a fan, alum, supporter, or coach that's part of the problem and why we are where we are right now in this country.

Again if my views removes my son from ANY schools list we've had the discussion as a family and we're fine with it. There's too much at stake to accept anything less than private and public support. Support both with your words so you can be held accountable to those words and through your actions. Please rice football team step up and STEP OUT.

(06-08-2020 09:10 AM)nightowl24 Wrote:  I always have tried to help my school. I'm going to give them a public tip. I have had ongoing conversations with other parents of athletes being recruited. We all are asking a series of questions to coaches that contact us. 1. What have you publicly said about the current situation in America? 2. What is your plan to address the systemic racial issues on your campus? 3. What are you plans with regard to my sons safety in coming to your campus and more importantly the CITY in which your school is in?
These are questions that every school that recruits my son HAS to answer. Your answer or lack thereof means a lot to my family. If you don't understand that as a fan, alum, supporter, or coach that's part of the problem and why we are where we are right now in this country.
Again if my views removes my son from ANY schools list we've had the discussion as a family and we're fine with it. There's too much at stake to accept anything less than private and public support. Support both with your words so you can be held accountable to those words and through your actions. Please rice football team step up and STEP OUT.

I understand why you would ask those questions, and I understand why you would give the answers strong consideration in recruiting decisions.

(06-08-2020 09:10 AM)nightowl24 Wrote:  I always have tried to help my school. I'm going to give them a public tip. I have had ongoing conversations with other parents of athletes being recruited. We all are asking a series of questions to coaches that contact us. 1. What have you publicly said about the current situation in America? 2. What is your plan to address the systemic racial issues on your campus? 3. What are you plans with regard to my sons safety in coming to your campus and more importantly the CITY in which your school is in?

These are questions that every school that recruits my son HAS to answer. Your answer or lack thereof means a lot to my family. If you don't understand that as a fan, alum, supporter, or coach that's part of the problem and why we are where we are right now in this country.

Again if my views removes my son from ANY schools list we've had the discussion as a family and we're fine with it. There's too much at stake to accept anything less than private and public support. Support both with your words so you can be held accountable to those words and through your actions. Please rice football team step up and STEP OUT.

Great questions! All coaches should be prepared to answer those easily and honestly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A lot of us support the BLM movement, but we don't feel the need to announce that support to the world. I can be a little more reserved and private than the average person, but I do share my feelings and beliefs within my sphere of influence, which is a small number of friends and my family.
I can know a man's heart by witnessing how he treats others, and by how others speak of him. I'm sure Bloomgren has his own stance on how he feels about this issue, and it doesn't bother me that he chooses to keep that between himself and his players. It's obvious to me that Bloomgren is respected and loved by his black players, or they wouldn't commit to play for Rice in such large numbers, and they wouldn't work so hard for him. That tells me more than any "announcement" ever could.

(06-08-2020 09:46 PM)Ourland Wrote:  A lot of us support the BLM movement, but we don't feel the need to announce that support to the world. I can be a little more reserved and private than the average person, but I do share my feelings and beliefs within my sphere of influence, which is a small number of friends and my family.
I can know a man's heart by witnessing how he treats others, and by how others speak of him. I'm sure Bloomgren has his own stance on how he feels about this issue, and it doesn't bother me that he chooses to keep that between himself and his players. It's obvious to me that Bloomgren is respected and loved by his black players, or they wouldn't commit to play for Rice in such large numbers, and they wouldn't work so hard for him. That tells me more than any "announcement" ever could.

He also has two black coordinators and lists David Shaw and Derek Mason as two of his best friends in coaching. But we can all do better and I would be interested to hear if there are plans to explore improvement for the experiences of black athletes at Rice.

Most of the usual posters seem to be avoiding this thread. I will not.

The first step in solving a problem is recognizing it.

The first step in solving a problem is not assuming it exists.

During my years at Rice in the late 70s I saw and heard exactly zero instances of racial discrimination. I freely admit I didn't know every black student. Almost all of the black students I knew were from my college. Two were athletes, one football (would coach at the college level) and the other track (think he eventually wrote for a newspaper). Another guy I played flag football with went on to medical school. One was a really good photographer (became an architect) and the last but not least went on to law school I think. The last guy was hypersensitive about race and got abused by the other black members of my college at least once in my presence.

I cannot definitive say there was no racial discrimination of any kind during my years at Rice. But, if there was systematic racial discrimination I'm confident I would have been aware of it.

If you have any evidence of racial discrimination at Rice I encourage you to bring it out in the open so we can discuss and hopefully resolve the situation. Allegations of racial discrimination are serious and cannot be trivialized. Allegations of systemic racial discrimination are unsettling and should be to the entire Rice community.

If it is centered around a coach or professor they should walk.

If it is centered around a department then the head should walk.

If it is pervasive throughout the university then the president should walk.

But I have seen no evidence and you have offered no evidence to support any allegation.

To say nothing is to tacitly accept your allegation. I will not.

(06-09-2020 10:53 AM)MerseyOwl Wrote:  Most of the usual posters seem to be avoiding this thread. I will not.

The first step in solving a problem is recognizing it.

The first step in solving a problem is not assuming it exists.

During my years at Rice in the late 70s I saw and heard exactly zero instances of racial discrimination. I freely admit I didn't know every black student. Almost all of the black students I knew were from my college. Two were athletes, one football (would coach at the college level) and the other track (think he eventually wrote for a newspaper). Another guy I played flag football with went on to medical school. One was a really good photographer (became an architect) and the last but not least went on to law school I think. The last guy was hypersensitive about race and got abused by the other black members of my college at least once in my presence.

I cannot definitive say there was no racial discrimination of any kind during my years at Rice. But, if there was systematic racial discrimination I'm confident I would have been aware of it.

If you have any evidence of racial discrimination at Rice I encourage you to bring it out in the open so we can discuss and hopefully resolve the situation. Allegations of racial discrimination are serious and cannot be trivialized. Allegations of systemic racial discrimination are unsettling and should be to the entire Rice community.

If it is centered around a coach or professor they should walk.

If it is centered around a department then the head should walk.

If it is pervasive throughout the university then the president should walk.

But I have seen no evidence and you have offered no evidence to support any allegation.

To say nothing is to tacitly accept your allegation. I will not.

Systemic discrimination means different things to different people. I can't speak to the experience of black students, but I certainly did not notice any efforts by the Rice administration during my time on campus (August '14 to December '17) to bring down or diminish black people. However, others would say differently. For example during my senior year/last semester, black students advocated for and succeeded in changing the name of a "college master" to "college magister." They would say that the former title is emblematic of Rice's checkered past on race relations.

Another example of the supposed systemic racism on Rice's campus is the statue of William Marsh Rice. There is currently a social media campaign to take down the statue and replace it with a statue of Rice's first black student.

(06-09-2020 10:53 AM)MerseyOwl Wrote:  Most of the usual posters seem to be avoiding this thread. I will not.

The first step in solving a problem is recognizing it.

The first step in solving a problem is not assuming it exists.

During my years at Rice in the late 70s I saw and heard exactly zero instances of racial discrimination. I freely admit I didn't know every black student. Almost all of the black students I knew were from my college. Two were athletes, one football (would coach at the college level) and the other track (think he eventually wrote for a newspaper). Another guy I played flag football with went on to medical school. One was a really good photographer (became an architect) and the last but not least went on to law school I think. The last guy was hypersensitive about race and got abused by the other black members of my college at least once in my presence.

I cannot definitive say there was no racial discrimination of any kind during my years at Rice. But, if there was systematic racial discrimination I'm confident I would have been aware of it.

If you have any evidence of racial discrimination at Rice I encourage you to bring it out in the open so we can discuss and hopefully resolve the situation. Allegations of racial discrimination are serious and cannot be trivialized. Allegations of systemic racial discrimination are unsettling and should be to the entire Rice community.

If it is centered around a coach or professor they should walk.

If it is centered around a department then the head should walk.

If it is pervasive throughout the university then the president should walk.

But I have seen no evidence and you have offered no evidence to support any allegation.

To say nothing is to tacitly accept your allegation. I will not.

Systemic discrimination means different things to different people. I can't speak to the experience of black students, but I certainly did not notice any efforts by the Rice administration during my time on campus (August '14 to December '17) to bring down or diminish black people. However, others would say differently. For example during my senior year/last semester, black students advocated for and succeeded in changing the name of a "college master" to "college magister." They would say that the former title is emblematic of Rice's checkered past on race relations.

Another example of the supposed systemic racism on Rice's campus is the statue of William Marsh Rice. There is currently a social media campaign to take down the statue and replace it with a statue of Rice's first black student.