Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond Calls for Removal of 'Sully' Statue from Campus

Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond called for the removal of the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue from the school's campus in a tweet posted Tuesday:

According to ESPN's Dave Wilson, the "Sully" statue is situated in the center of campus in College Station, Texas. The statue was erected in 1919 to honor Ross, who served as the school's president from 1891 to 1898.

Ross was also the 19th governor of Texas and served as a general for the confederacy during the Civil War.

As part of his tweet, Mond wrote about Ross' enslaving and killing Indians, wounding and killing black people and saying, "I would not recognize negroes as soldiers."

Mond closed his tweet by writing:

"The values of Texas A&M University do not align with RACISM, VIOLENCE, SLAVERY & SEGREGATION, but [Texas A&M head coach] Jimbo Fisher's most prominent saying will always stick with me: "Your ACTIONS speak so loud I can't hear what you're saying. The Lawrence Sullivan Ross Statue NEEDS to be removed. Texas A&M University, I NEED to see ACTION."

Per Wilson, 24,000 people have signed a petition supporting the removal of the statue and 25,000 people have signed a petition in favor of keeping it. Both sides of the issue held protests last weekend as well.

Since the May 25 killing of 46-year-old black man George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, there has been a renewed push across the United States to remove statues of figures who fought in favor of slavery.

Last week, a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was removed from Kentucky's Capitol building after it stood for 84 years.

Ja Morant, who stars for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and attended Murray State, wrote a letter to a judge in Murray, Kentucky, asking for the removal of a statue depicting Confederate general Robert E. Lee from the city's downtown, as well.

Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is among those who have supported Mond's push to get the "Sully" statue removed:

Wilson noted that Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp and president Michael K. Young have been defenders of the statue and have cited contributions Ross made to the black community, but Young said he would "invite discussion" on the matter in a statement released Monday.

Mond is a San Antonio native who is about to enter his senior season at Texas A&M after racking up 2,897 passing yards and 28 total touchdowns last season.