Minnesota players stage boycott to protest suspensions

Minnesota's football team is protesting the suspension of 10 players from the Holiday Bowl due to their involvement in an alleged sexual assault.

After skipping practice and holding a players-only meeting Thursday, team members informed head coach Tracy Claeys that they plan to boycott the bowl game unless the players are reinstated. They held a press conference later in the day to state their demands.

"Effective immediately, we will boycott all football activities," receiver Drew Wolitarsky told reporters, reading from a statement. "The boycott will remain in effect until due process is followed and the suspensions for all 10 players involved are lifted. We further request that (President Eric) Kaler and (athletic director Mark) Coyle (offer) an apology, and demand that these leaders are held accountable for their actions. This decision for the players to take this stance is not easy but important to the action to preserve the integrity of the program and ourselves."

Wolitarsky said the lack of answers given to the team about the suspensions is what propelled them to take the stance. "We got no answers to our questions about why these kids were suspended, when they were just found not guilty by the law. ..." he said. "These kids ... were this close to going to prison for things they didn't do. So as a player, it became more than a game for me."

The incident occurred in the early hours of Sept. 2, and led to a restraining order for five Gopher players at TCF Bank Stadium because the alleged victim worked at the stadium on game days. That retraining order was dropped, however, and none of the players were arrested or charged.

Some teammates voiced their displeasure with the school on Twitter using the hashtag #WeHadEnough:

The Gophers face Washington State on Dec. 27 in San Diego.