LEBANON, Ill. — With the recent events going on in America, more and more people are finding the courage to speak up about racism they’ve encountered.
We’ve seen it in professional sports and even big-time universities. Now, McKendree University in Illinois is under the spotlight.
John Alvin III played football at McKendree University from 2016 to 2018. He said when he was first recruited by head coach Mike Babcock, it was understood no racist language was tolerated.
“You know I said the phrase like, dang you know I probably could have hit that N word, you know of course I said the word. He was like, 'Hey, you know we don’t say that word,” said Alvin.
In team meetings prior to the season starting, Alvin said coach Babcock had a lapse in judgment when it came time for a teammate to read a particular page in their handbook.
“It was usually a white teammate saying we can’t say the N word,” said Alvin.
Alvin said hearing a white teammate say the N word openly, in a statement or not, made him and other players feel uncomfortable.
But it was in a conversation Alvin had with coach Babcock himself that he said crossed the line. Alvin said when the two were talking about music, coach Babcock said there’s always N word this, N word that.
“My teammate next to me was like, 'He just said that?' I was like, 'He did, he really did,'” Alvin recalled.
With the fear of not playing or being cut, Alvin said he never came forward with how he was feeling. It wasn’t until recently when he had the courage to speak up on Facebook after talking with players in the program.
When 5 On Your Side reached out to McKendree University for a response to Alvin’s claims, they sent an email saying, “McKendree University is aware of the Facebook post. The University is following the personnel policies and appropriately reviewing the matter.”
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Alvin said the relationship between him and coach Babcock wasn’t bad, he just wants to hold him accountable with everything going on in the world now.
“He has a beautiful home, he has a beautiful family, he’s not racist, he just says the N word, you know,” Alvin said.
As the investigation continues, Alvin said he doesn’t want coach Babcock to be fired, he just wants him to know he’s made some poor decisions and for the university to act on it. Alvin also said coach Babcock reached out to him following his Facebook post, but that he did not answer.
