Gary Pinkel Sends Out Message with Photo of Missouri Football Players: "We are Behind Our Players"

Gary Pinkel has come out publicly in support of his football players when he sent the following message.

It contains a photo of coaches and what looks like basically the entire football team. This message comes less than 24 hours after a group of players stated they would boycott activities until the University System President resigned or was removed. This sets up for a very interesting week. It means there’s basically no chance that Missouri plays on Saturday unless there is some sort of compromise or resolution that satisfies the protesters soon.

It also sets up an interesting dynamic. Publicly at least, the coaching staff has aligned itself with a position that the President step down. (They may be working with the players on a resolution short of that privately). From a coaching public relations standpoint, Pinkel was in a tough spot. If he didn’t support his players–for all those saying the players should have their scholarships pulled–he would be effectively done as a recruiter getting players for his program.

Related: Missouri Football player: Our Coaches are 100% Behind Us

Related: Missouri Football Players Were Told By Protesters, “you don’t realize how much power you have”