Black K-State Athletes Say They'll Boycott After Student's George Floyd Tweet

Black student-athletes at Kansas State University released a statement Friday saying they'll no longer participate in games or other athletic department events unless a new anti-racism policy is created.

Christianna Carr, a guard on the women's basketball team, posted the announcement, which was shared by multiple athletes from the school:

The decision comes after an insensitive Twitter post by KSU student Jaden McNeil in reference to George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who was killed while in Minneapolis Police custody May 25. McNeil is the founder of America First Students, an organization with ties to white nationalism.

Kansas State announced Friday it launched an "immediate review of the university's options" and provided a statement from school president Richard Myers.

"The insensitive comments posted by one K-State student hurts our entire community," he said. "These divisive statements do not represent for the values of our university. We condemn racism and bigotry in all its forms."

Wildcats athletic director Gene Taylor also commented on the situation.

"Recent tweets from a K-State student downplaying the Black Lives Matter effort and the tragic and senseless death of George Floyd are disgusting and totally inappropriate and not reflective of who we are as a university or our athletic department," he wrote on Twitter.

K-State starting quarterback Skylar Thompson, who's white, said he'll stand with his fellow athletes against racism:

"Typing out a statement isn't enough. We must take ACTION and take every step moving forward mandating change. I will lead the way and do everything I can I PROMISE you that," he added. "To my teammates and brothers...I love you. I love you for you. No matter how much this world tries to divide us that's never going to change. Don't back down from ANYTHING. I got your back."

The Wildcats' football team is scheduled to start the 2020 season Sept. 5 against Buffalo, though the fate of the NCAA's fall sports remains unsettled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Winter sports, including play for Carr and the women's basketball team, typically begin in early November.