College athletes across the country added their voices to those calling for an end to racial injustice Friday with football players and others marching on campus or stepping away from practices to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.

In Oklahoma, the Sooners football team walked in rows of three to the Unity Garden, where they held a 57-second moment of silence in honor of the 57-year anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Assistant coach Dennis Simmons led a prayer before the team returned to its facilities.

"The problems out there are real," said Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, who led the march and spoke at the event. "As we talk, as we discuss, we can't come up with a better solution than unity. I just don't know how you have unity and not include yourself and every part of your program in that. So it's a way for us to show that."

Duke athletes gathered on campus Thursday with hundreds of Blue Devils staff, students and coaches in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"All the social unrest and the difficulties that we face day-to-day living this day and time — you're working with young people, and you want them to feel hope for the future and excited," Duke football coach David Cutcliffe said. "This shouldn't be a troubling time for college-age persons."

'We are committed to change'

Members of the Baylor football team marched around campus Friday.

The Ole Miss football team decided not to take to the practice field Friday after a similar demonstration a day earlier at Mississippi State.

Ole Miss players marched from the campus to the Oxford Square.

"As the Ole Miss football family, we are committed to change," the players said in a statement distributed by the university. "Police brutality and other injustices occurring across our nation have to end, and our team stands united to embrace our diversity and promote a culture of peace, equality and understanding. Regardless of our backgrounds, we all need to listen to each other and learn to respect and love our differences."

On Thursday, Mississippi State went to Unity Park in Starkville instead of practicing.

"Black, brown, blue, whatever, it doesn't matter," senior defensive end and Starkville native Kobe Jones said as players prepared to disperse. "We love you all."

College football joined other boycotts as the NBA saw teams sit out Wednesday and Thursday, not playing their scheduled playoff games. Major League Baseball also had teams do the same as did the National Hockey League. Some NFL teams opted to not practice.

Tennessee athletes planned a march Saturday. Football coach Jeremy Pruitt moved practice so his players could attend.

Tennessee left guard Trey Smith, a preseason All-American, has been sharing information about the march on social media. He said Vols athletes "are calling attention to institutionalized racism, as well as demanding that our school commits to taking action to combat it on their own campus."

"We're going to use our platform to help create change and be at the forefront of it," Pruitt said. "Our players believe in it, our staff believes in it, our administration believes in it. So we're going to continue to support them in this movement, and it's something that we'll continue for years to come."

'It's another pandemic'

South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley said change is long overdue.

"It's like a disease," she said. "It's another pandemic that's been happening for 400 years and we haven't unearthed the vaccine for it. But we shouldn't stop (trying)."

Blake, who is Black, was shot in the back by police last weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The incident has spurred protests around the nation and professional sports leagues across North America postponed games in response.

Oklahoma coach Riley met with his team Thursday and they decided to do something. He said that as a white man, he was surprised to hear some of the stories from his players about racism they have faced. He feels he has no choice now but to act and help others do the same.

"It's not going to change overnight," he said. "It's about taking positive steps and keeping the faith and let's don't let this be a thing that divides us even further. Why can't this be the thing that brings us all even more together?"

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

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