Joyce Krawiec serves in the North Carolina Senate. She represents Davie County and Forsyth County, NC. Christian, wife, mother, small business owner, and conservative.
Dear UNC Chapel Hill Administrators:
North Carolinians have heard a lot from the university system about inequality and systemic racism this year. Faculty and students have torn down statues and led “mostly” peaceful protests across the state. People affiliated with the UNC system have made it clear that they view North Carolina as a cultural backwater, plagued by systemic racism. I do not agree with all of your methods or with the “woke” ideology that is being taught in your classrooms. But we can all agree that everyone deserves a fair shake, and now I need your help.
I serve in the North Carolina Senate. I hear from people every day that are not being treated fairly by our state government. One state program is a big offender. State employees recruit young (mostly black) workers. The workers physically train until they are exhausted, and many of them leave with permanent injuries and no hope of ever getting paid. The program earns tens of millions of dollars per year. That could only happen in a real cultural backwater, right? It happens regularly on the football fields of “woke” towns like Chapel Hill.
One of my constituents grew up near the Kernersville News building where this letter was printed. He is now a young ex-UNC athlete who suffers from chronic pain. His ankle is screwed together and he has a degenerative condition in his back. Last week he had two vertebrae in his neck replaced. The stadium lights went out a long time ago. UNC Chapel Hill stopped paying for his football injuries soon after.
UNC has known about the damage that football does for decades. You may recall a story in the New York Times that ran in March 2015 about former offensive lineman Ryan Hoffman. When reporters found Hoffman, he was homeless and begging for money on the street in Florida.
Ryan told the Times: “I am still in tiptop physical shape… It’s my brain that keeps me from being a productive member of society. I’m physically very strong, but I’m mentally so weak.”
The story resulted in national bad press for your school. The University made a big show of taking Ryan in and helping him to work through his issues. You found that he had a degenerative brain disease called CTE, which is closely associated with injuries from football. He died later that year when he rode a children’s bicycle into oncoming traffic.
How many forgotten Ryan Hoffmans are out there? Why did it take a New York Times article for you to finally do the right thing?
You readily acknowledge that the University has a long history of injustice, and you say that it is now finally time to right historical wrongs. Last summer your campus made a big show of changing the names of buildings named after Julian Carr, Thomas Ruffin, Charles Aycock, and Joesphus Daniels. This was a group of hateful men from last century and earlier. You have many more sins to atone for that affect people who are alive today.
The first step is to start treating your players fairly. A recent report from a Drexel University professor found that college football and basketball players lost $10 billion in generational wealth over a 4-year period. The typical football player is worth about $1 million over four years on the open market. We both know that the ‘education’ you provide does not cover that.
The second step is to publicly embrace a bill that I filed in 2019. Remember Senate Bill 335 from 2019, with the short title: “University Student-Athlete Protection Commission”? This bill would have created new benefits for college athletes like access to legal counsel, and improved health care and academic assistance. You shamefully fought against this bill back then. Pressure from you caused some of my colleagues to “back away.” I was told my a UNC staffer that they were ready to “engage” the alumni associations. Decoded that means “don’t mess with our football program.” I was not able to move the bill. Will you take steps to help me pass it today?
The third step is to take care of your ex-players after they leave campus. The US Military takes care of ex-soldiers who were injured on the battlefield. Why can’t you cover care for the players who fought so hard under the UNC banner?
One of the heroes of the “woke” movement was the late Congressman John Lewis. I did not always agree with Mr. Lewis, but he put my feelings towards college football better than I ever could: ““We must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.”
It is past time for UNC to start treating its athletes with dignity and respect.
Sincerely,
Senator Joyce Krawiec, Kernersville North Carolina
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Joyce Krawiec serves in the North Carolina Senate. She represents Davie County and Forsyth County, NC. Christian, wife, mother, small business owner, and conservative.