On Aug. 23, a video went viral of
a police officer shooting a Black man
named Jacob Blake seven times in his
back in front of his family in Kenosha,
Wisc. Yet another disturbing story of
police brutality, the shooting of Blake
sent shockwaves to the growing
protests and marches that had been
happening since June in cities across
the country.
Three days later, the Milwaukee
Bucks’ players decided that it was
not appropriate to continue playing
sports as the country continued to
burn both physically and spiritually.
The ensuing league-wide boycott
cancelled
the
remaining
NBA
games for several days, all while
in the midst of a hotly contested
playoff. The rest of the sports world
followed, as athletes demonstrated
that there were bigger things at play
than sports.
Seeing the horrific videos and
hearing about the stories that have
been circulating these past few
months, Michigan senior defensive
lineman Kwity Paye, along with
many other athletes around the
country, felt that it was too hard to
continue to do his job and go along
with his normal life.
“During camp, a lot of news was
breaking out about police killing a
Black man,” Paye told The Daily. “A
lot of people were outraged with all
the social injustice going on.”
Paye and graduate Michigan
defensive lineman Carlo Kemp
couldn’t stand being complacent,
so they decided to take action. The
one thing they could control was
getting themselves and their team
registered to vote.
“It was something that we’ve
wanted for a while,” Paye said, “For
me, although I have never voted
before, it was something that I felt
like I had to do. To make change, the
change I want, it starts with voting
and getting registered was the first
step in doing that.”
So, last Thursday, Paye and Kemp
led an initiative to register the
Michigan football team to vote in the
upcoming November election.
“There was one day after practice,”
Paye said, “me and Carlo had to call
(director of player personnel) Sean
Magee one day a while ago and we
were like ‘Is it possible for the whole
team to get registered to vote?’ …
One day randomly after practice, we
walk into the locker room and the
table was set up and they got guys
registered to vote.”
Elections are a staple of a
democracy, and the best way that
citizens can have an immediate
impact on their community is by
choosing the people they think fit
their beliefs and ideas on how to
solve issues and lead.
However, the past few years,
many
people,
especially
young
people, have refrained from voting
and neglected their right. In 2016,
only 58.1% of voting-eligible people
turned out to vote and despite young
people (18-29 year olds) making up
a third of those people, only half of
them actually voted.
“For a while,” Paye said, “the older
generation thought that we weren’t
the type to fight back or the type to
go out and do these protests or the
type to stand up for what we think
is right.”
But this election feels different
from the rest. There’s so much at
stake as this country handles the
worst pandemic seen in a century,
as well as the uprising of sweeping
social movements. Paye and many
other community leaders agree that
now is the right time for people to get
active in making decisions that could
affect their lives by using their right
to vote.
“I would say it is just really
different,” Paye said, “... We are
getting a lot more of the younger
generation into voting, because we
have seen what has happened in past
years where our generation doesn’t
vote. We don’t get what we want in
office, so for us, it’s a duty.”
Many young athletes argue that
getting involved in the voting process
is the best way to do that. On June
22, LeBron James and his business
team created ‘More than a Vote,’ an
organization — consisting of Black
athletes and artists — to encourage
participation in elections and make
it easier for people to register and
request ballots.
Like James, Paye and Kemp
have realized the potential for
using their platform for good. They
decided to start internally by getting
themselves registered, before going
out and encouraging others to do the
same.
“We just wanted to do our part,”
Paye said. “Make sure that we’re
voting. Just because the stuff
that’s going on right now, it’s just
ridiculous.”
Most
of
Kemp
and
Paye’s
teammates were not even registered
to vote prior to this month, so they
jumped at this opportunity that
Kemp and Paye provided.
“It was just something as a world,
we have to take on and vote and
change the world and make it a
better place,” senior defensive back
Brad Hawkins said. “We preach that
at the university, staying together
and being a family. That’s something
that was helpful for us and we took
pride in everyone getting registered
to vote.”
Michigan football players know
what’s at stake come November,
and they want to make sure they
do their part to fight for the issues
they think are important for them.
They understand that — as young
people — they are the future, and the
issues present now are ones that will
continue to affect them unless any
change happens.
“The next generation is gonna be
possibly taking over this country,”
Paye said, “and we are gonna
have to be ones to make decisions.
The younger generation has the
obligation to start doing things
now and showing that they can
be responsible enough in the near
future to fix what’s wrong and just
do what’s right by the other citizens.”
18 — Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
With football’s return on the
horizon, Michigan ready to play
When Josh Ross typed “Big
Ten” into Twitter’s search
bar Wednesday morning, it
showed the senior linebacker
everything he wanted to know.
In five weeks, he would be
playing football.
“We were so excited hearing
that news,” Ross said. “Finally!
That’s how I was feeling,
‘Finally!’ We’ve been putting
so much work in preparing
and it’s just a blessing we get
to play this fall.”
Since the announcement,
that’s
been
the
prevailing
feeling among the Michigan
football team, which hasn’t
stopped
practicing
since
returning to campus in June.
The Wolverines have made it a
point to stay ready to play.
Hearing the news changed
the
tenor
of
Michigan’s
practice on Wednesday. The
intensity
was
higher.
The
adrenaline, too. Football was
back.
Well,
with
just
a
few
changes.
The Big Ten announced
that it would not allow general
ticket
sales
for
the
2020
season, with the only potential
recipients being families of
players and staff. Michigan
president
Mark
Schlissel
confirmed Thursday that there
would be no fans in the stands
at Michigan Stadium. But at
this point, the Wolverines
don’t care how many fans
there are as long as it means
they get to play football.
“At the end of the day I
just want to play,” Ross said.
“Regardless
of
if
there’s
people in the stands, we can
be playing in Schembechler
(Hall). I just want to play at
the end of the day. It might be a
little weird, but it don’t matter,
we wanna go out there and
play and hit.”
Another
difference
this
year is part of what enabled
the Big Ten’s return — a strict
set of protocols. Among them
is a rule that if at least 5% of
a team’s tests are positive and
7.5% of the team population
tests positive in a seven-
day period, that team must
shut down practice for seven
days. Additionally, any player
who tests positive can only
return after a minimum of
21 days post-diagnosis, all in
a nine-week schedule with
no bye weeks. Although the
protocols are strict, Michigan
is prepared to meet them.
After all, the Wolverines have
already gone three months
without a positive test thanks
to
strong
enforcement.
The
new
thresholds
add
an
additional
incentive
to
comply with social distancing
requirements.
“When they said that, I’m
not leaving the house unless
I’m at (Schembechler),” Ross
said. “I’m not leaving, I’m not
going anywhere. Of course if I
got class, but other than that,
I’m in my apartment.”
Several notable players —
wide receiver Nico Collins,
cornerback
Ambry
Thomas
and offensive tackle Jalen
Mayfield
—
have
already
declared for the draft, though
Thomas indicated on Big Ten
Radio on Thursday that he may
be able to return. But many
2019 starters are back. Senior
defensive lineman Kwity Paye
expressed his intention to play
in 2020 on Twitter.
And
fifth-year
senior
running back Chris Evans is
returning from suspension.
Even with several losses on
the offensive side — including
all
five
starting
offensive
linemen, Collins and fellow
receivers Donovan Peoples-
Jones and Tarik Black — the
returning players on that side
of the ball are steadfast in
their confidence that they’ll
be ready to go. Among those
waiting in the wings are
junior quarterback Joe Milton,
presumed to be the starter, and
wide receivers Giles Jackson,
Cornelius Johnson and Mike
Sainristil, who all saw time at
the position in 2019.
“I wouldn’t say it really
feels different,” Jackson said.
“We’re rolling on offense. It
doesn’t feel like we’ve really
missed a beat, honestly. If
you just look out there, yeah,
there’s new people out there
but you can’t tell. We look
good.”
For now, the next step for
Michigan is getting in pads, a
step previously not allowed by
the Big Ten. Ross emphasized
how much he’s missed padded
practice, noting the tenacity
of hitting another player. But
there’s further significance,
too: Each day the players
spend in pads will be one day
closer to the return of games.
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Senior linebacker Josh Ross is looking forward to getting back on the field at Michigan Stadium this fall.
Kwity Paye and Carlo Kemp lead initiative to
help Michigan football team register to vote
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Senior defensive lineman Kwity Paye, along with teammate Carlo Kemp, led an initiative to help get the Michigan football team registered to vote.
In Donovan Edwards, Michigan has its
chance to win back the mitten
OAK PARK — Late Friday
night, in the moments before the
floodlights flicked off at Oak Park
High School, Donovan Edwards
stood surrounded by media,
answering a slew of questions
about his future. This is the
situation the West Bloomfield
running back finds himself in
now, as a blue-chip prospect in
the backyard of a school that so
desperately needs him.
When he speaks, a group
of reporters swarms, as if he’s
already at Michigan — or Georgia
or Oklahoma or any of the other
major Division I programs in
pursuit of his talents. And when
he’s done, the lights darken, as if
they had waited for the night’s
brightest star to be done dazzling.
Friday,
by
Edwards’
own
admission,
wasn’t
his
finest
performance. Quarterback Alex
Short and running back Dillon
Tatum both saw more usage as
West Bloomfield romped to a
39-0 win. But when the Lakers
needed him, Edwards stepped up,
rushing for three touchdowns and
flashing a little bit of everything
that makes him the top player on
Michigan’s 2021 board.
“My ability to run up the field
to score a touchdown, I feel as
though it’s unmatched,” Edwards
said after the game.
For the Wolverines, though,
that’s not why Edwards matters
so much.
Per
247Sports
composite
rankings, he’s the 36th-ranked
player in the 2021 class. That’s
10
spots
higher
than
Zach
Charbonnet was in 2019 and a few
dozen higher than Blake Corum
was last year. On the field, he
would combine with JJ McCarthy
to create a tantalizingly talented
offensive duo. He would, in other
words, be critical to Michigan’s
short-term success.
But the Wolverines’ 2021 class
would still be dwarfed by Ohio
State’s. Jim Harbaugh would
still face an uphill battle to carry
Michigan to the heights most
envisioned when he arrived in
Ann Arbor five years ago.
Here in Metro Detroit, though,
Edwards’
commitment
would
represent a shifting of the tides.
“Given the fact that he’s so
highly ranked and he’s right in
their backyard and Michigan led
very early on big time, it would be
a massive disappointment if they
couldn’t get that one done,” Steve
Lorenz, a recruiting analyst at
247Sports, said.
For years, even as Harbaugh
has consistently compiled top-
ranked recruiting classes, he’s
faced questions in Metro Detroit.
Last
month,
Rocco
Spindler
committed to Notre Dame amid
heavy pursuit from Michigan.
In 2020, Justin Rodgers — the
state’s top recruit — ended up
at Kentucky. The year before, it
was Devontae Dobbs and Julian
Barnett out of Belleville High
School, both of whom went to
Michigan State.
Perhaps, Lorenz says, these
struggles
are
blown
out
of
proportion
by
perception.
Recruiting in 2020 requires a
national footprint. But at the
same time, it’s true that Ohio
State doesn’t miss out on the top
recruits in Ohio. Michigan, for
whatever reason, misses out on
the top recruits in Michigan.
In Edwards, the Wolverines
have the chance to change that.
“He’s a kid that a lot of kids are
following , his lead and his path on
things,” Ron Bellamy, Edwards’
coach at West Bloomfield, said
when asked whether Edwards
could help Michigan’s future
recruiting in Metro Detroit. “He’s
a kid that whatever college he
chooses, he’s going to entice kids
to maybe follow his path.”
Bellamy is careful to play
politics, too. When asked whether
Michigan would be impacted in
the long term if Edwards selects
Georgia or Oklahoma, he says
no, citing the Wolverines’ ability
to identify talent. It’s hard to
comport that, though, with “he’s
going to entice kids to maybe
follow his path.”
That’s
why
Michigan
has
known Edwards is a player they
had to have since he started high
school, if not earlier. And it’s why,
before games, Michigan running
backs’ coach Jay Harbaugh calls
Edwards to give him pointers
and forge a relationship beyond
football.
“The
people
I’m
gonna
be around every single day,”
Edwards said of what he’s looking
for in a school. “The coaches’
personalities, just being around a
great atmosphere, an atmosphere
that feels just like home.”
Come
December,
when
Edwards is expecting to make his
decision, that’s what Michigan
will need to provide.
If the Wolverines can deliver,
they’ll land not only a future star
in their backfield, but an inroads
to reclaiming their backyard.
BRANDON TRACHTENBERG
Daily Sports Writer
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Running back Donovan Edwards is a recruit that Michigan needs in order to assert itself in the state.
THEO MACKIE
Managing Sports Editor