Earlier this week, the NAACP launched a proposed boycott of athletic departments in eight southern states that have been redrawing their congressional maps in the wake of a Supreme Court decision further limiting the scope of the Voting Rights Act.
The “Out of Bounds” campaign, launched Tuesday, asked Black athletes, fans, and alumni to boycott 12 big-time athletic departments until those states “restore fair congressional maps and meaningful Black representation.”
So far, none of the 12 schools targeted by the campaign have spoken about it publicly.
FOS contacted university spokespeople for all 12 schools: Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Clemson, Florida, FSU, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State.
The majority of schools did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Mississippi State declined to comment, as did a spokesperson for LSU president Wade Rousse. Georgia president Jere Morehead was asked during a meeting with reporters Thursday, but did not directly comment on the NAACP’s concerns.
