Maryland Student-Athletes to Make Bold Statement about Racial Justice
Maryland will fly out to Evanston, Illinois on Friday as the Terps kick off their 2020 Big Ten slate on Saturday for their first road matchup against Northwestern.
Head coach Mike Locksley has remained coy surrounding the starting quarterback, giving the term "Lance Tagovailoa" to provide ambiguity. But Maryland is not alone with unfamiliarity heading into the 2020 season as Northwestern is set to unveil the new-look offense under first-year offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian and Indiana quarterback transfer Peyton Ramsey. The first test of the season looms large for Maryland as Locksley is looking to see how the Terps fare in live action.
“Obviously, the first game is always a great test because you go through the rigors of training camp, which was modified for us this year, and as I always like to say, that first game is like Christmas," Locksley said on Thursday. "It’s full of surprises in terms of who you really are because sometimes you don’t get to gauge it in scrimmage situations or practice."
Maryland will also debut new name-plates on their jerseys, helmet stickers and warm-up shirts to make personal statements about the fight for racial justice. Players will have the option to replace their names on their jerseys with various expressions of solidarity, including Equality, Unity, Respect, Justice and Empathy. Players will also have the option to wear warm-up shirts with the same expressions and two others, "I Got Your Back" and "Speak Up." A helmet sticker designed by student-athletes will express solidarity through the phrase "One Terp." These expressions were created directly by University of Maryland student-athletes and reflect a department-wide commitment to social justice.
