(SportsRadio 610) -- The University of Texas football team is requesting changes from the school and athletic program this fall, including changing the names of buildings, adding a black athlete history exhibit and to stop requiring athletes to sing "The Eyes of Texas."
In a letter to the university circulated Friday, players called for the administration to hold itself to a higher standard when it comes to having a more comfortable and inclusive campus for black athletes.
"The recent events across the country regarding racial injustice have brought to light the systemic racism that has always been prevalent in our country as well as the racism that has historically plagued our campus," the letter states. "As a student athlete body, we have had many conversations about how Texas can actively take charge. Our athletic department released a statement acknowledging these injustices and publicly supported the rights of student athletes using their voices to make change. We, as student athletes, and collectively as the University of Texas Longhorn football team, are aware that we are an athletic department made up of many black athletes, and believe that is time we become active on our campus.
"We aim to hold the athletic department and university to a higher standard by not only asking them to keep their promise of condemning racism on our campus, but to go beyond this by taking action to make Texas more comfortable and inclusive for the black athletes and the black community that has so fervently supported this program."
The letter adds a list of demands, which without official commitment from the university, players say they will not be participating in the recruiting of incoming players and donor-related events.
Players are asking for the renaming of four campus buildings named after known racists and replacing statues with more diverse ones; including a permanent black athletic history exhibit in its Hall of Fame display, renaming an area of the stadium after Julius Whittier, UT's first black football player.
They also want "The Eyes of Texas" replaced with a song without racist undertones and to lift the requirement for athletes to sing the song.
✊-- "What starts here changes the world" #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/pimHqdhFSs
— -- (@_BrennanEagles_) June 12, 2020Texans defensive end and Longhorns football alum Charles Omenihu tweeted support of the current players.
"I respect the current UT football players for making this stand that others in the past didn't do," Omenihu tweeted. "Us alumni have known about the issues regarding racism on campus but didn't know how to tackle it, but this group of guys have came together with a proposal that make sense.
"And I commend them for that and I am in 100% support of what you guys want to do and I hope the powers above will realize this and fall through with the proposals that these guys have came up with keep using y'all influence in a positive way."
I respect the current UT football players for making this stand that others in the past didn't do. Us alumni have known about the issues regarding racism on campus but didn't know how to tackle it, but this group of guys have came together with a proposal that make sense.
— Charles Omenihu (@charless_94) June 12, 2020
