ISU coach abruptly resigns, but not without reminding everyone that 'all lives matter'
The former coach was also lambasted for allegedly removing a BLM sign hung on his door without his permission.
A former Illinois State coach left the program after hanging an “All Lives Matter" sign in the locker room.
Before leaving the Illinois State University football program, former assistant coach Kurth Beathard left a sign on his door reading “All Lives Matter to Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.”
Beathard had been lambasted for allegedly removing a “Black Lives Matter” poster hung in the ISU football locker room and replacing it with the “All Lives Matter Sign.” Beathard responded to the accusations, stating that he only removed the sign placed on his own office door.
“That locker room crap is wrong. I took the sign down somebody put on my door. That’s it. I didn’t take anything off that wasn’t put on my door. I wrote the message,” Beathard said. The students accusing Beathard of removing the poster remain anonymous.
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This controversy comes only weeks after ISU athletes protested the statement from ISU Director of Athletics Larry Lyons that “All Redbird Lives Matter.” In protest of Lyons’ sentiment, many ISU athletes boycotted team meetings, workouts, and practices. Also in response to Lyons’ statement, athletes held an “Athletics March for Black Voices” event on Sept. 4. Lyons later apologized for his remarks.
According to The Washington Post’s review of his Facebook profile, Beathard supports President Donald Trump, is pro-life, and has long been critical of football players kneeling for the national anthem.
According to The Post, Beathard also shared the news on Facebook that his wife died in June after a long battle with breast cancer.
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Beathard served as the Redbird offensive coordinator and quarterback coach during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He then took a break from coaching for two years due in part to his wife’s terminal battle with cancer. Beathard came back to ISU in the same roles in 2018.
In late September, following the Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter sign controversy, the ISU athletics department announced the departure of former assistant coach Beathard.
Campus Reform reached out to the university but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Follow the author of this article: Kyle Reynolds
