Wilcox wants players to voice their opinions
Like most college football teams, Cal generally doesn’t take the field until well after the national anthem is played.
Being at the epicenter of Free Speech Week protests and not far from where Colin Kaepernick started the nationalanthem kneeling movement, however, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox has opened dialogue with his players about social issues.
“We want them to have opinions, stand up for who they are and also know the right way to talk about it and communicate their opinions. I think that’s the biggest thing: that we’re respectful in how we do that,” Wilcox said after Monday’s practice. “We want them to be themselves, especially in this environment. …
“We’re never going to tell them what to think, but we’d like to teach them how to think about it. That’s kind of what we promote.”
The life of a college football coach can call for long hours, spent watching much more video of opponent’s games than broadcast news, but Wilcox said it’s important not to get insulated from big-picture issues.
“You’re so busy doing you’re thing, but you need to recognize it, because it does impact our players,” he said.
Some of Cal’s most highprofile NFL players, including Lorenzo Alexander, DeSean Jackson, Cameron Jordan and Brandon Mebane, took part in Sunday’s climatic day for the movement aimed at drawing attention to police brutality and racial inequality.
Marshawn Lynch has been sitting during the anthem all season. Stand by your man: Wilcox reiterated that sophomore Ross Bowers will remain Cal’s starting quarterback at Oregon on Saturday, after throwing four interceptions and losing two fumbles in a 30-20 loss to USC.
“Ross will be fine. He’s not the first guy or first quarterback to have a game like that,” Wilcox said. “… The quarterback is always going to get the attention, but not every turnover was on Ross. He can definitely be better, and he will be better. He’s got a lot to clean up from the game, and I know he will.”
Bowers has a passer-efficiency rating of 114.34, having completed 90 of 163 attempts (55.2 percent) for 1,102 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions as Cal has won three of four. He threw for 303 yards, including 110 to receiver Kanawai Noa, against the No. 5 Trojans.
“What I like most about what he’s doing, whether it’s an up or a down, is that he just flushes it and moves on to the next play,” Noa said. “It’s a good sign. … It’s a very good aspect to have, seeing a leader who portrays that. You’re seeing that and you’re saying, ‘OK, let’s follow him. We’re in this. We can do this.’ ” Time will tell: Fox exercised one of its six-day selection options for next week’s telecast slate, delaying the announcement of the kickoff time for Cal’s game at Washington until late Saturday or early Sunday. It’s expected that the winner of the Bears’ game at Oregon will be picked for Fox’s 5 p.m. slot Oct. 7, and the loser will play at 7:45 p.m. on ESPN. Better late than never: After bumping his season totals to 17 receptions for 247 yards, Noa was added to the watch list for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. The list will be trimmed to five finalists Nov. 30, and the winner will be announced Dec. 14.