• Apply
  • Archives
  • NewsWatch
  • Classifieds
  • Multimedia
    • Ole Miss in Puerto Rico
    • Campus Protests
    • The Queen of Marks
    • Meet Aubrey Armstrong, a Real Champion and Local Celebrity
    • Mississippi voters passed Initiative 65. What’s next?
    • One year later: COVID-19 at Ole Miss
    • “It’s Just Not Fair”: One Woman’s Fight For Access to Community Water
    • A way with words
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
Monday, June 23, 2025
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
  • News
    • All
    • Associated Student Body
    Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

    Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

    University cuts support for Oxford Pride

    University cuts support for Oxford Pride

    ASB expands legislative council, elects Wesley Templet president pro tempore

    ASB expands legislative council, elects Wesley Templet president pro tempore

    What goes into making Commencement happen for 5,500 graduates?

    What goes into making Commencement happen for 5,500 graduates?

    Stamps Impact Prize awarded to 15 students

    Stamps Impact Prize awarded to 15 students

    MPower sets on a new path amid low attendance

    MPower sets on a new path amid low attendance

  • Sports
    • All
    • Game Recap
    House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

    House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

    Ole Miss Softball takes series against Missouri

    Ole Miss Softball advances to World Series for first time in program history

    Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

    Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

    Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

    Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

    Ole Miss Softball dominates Rocket City Softball Showcase

    Ole Miss Softball battles through SEC Tournament

    Ole Miss softball falls to No. 1 Tennessee

    Ole Miss softball falls to No. 1 Tennessee

  • Arts & Culture
    Seniors cement their campus legacy with a brick

    Seniors cement their campus legacy with a brick

    Student photographers capture picture-perfect graduation moments

    Student photographers capture picture-perfect graduation moments

    Julien Baker & TORRES ‘send a prayer’ to Oxford

    Julien Baker & TORRES ‘send a prayer’ to Oxford

    Double Decker 28 rocks the Square

    Double Decker 28 rocks the Square

    Grove trees cared for by the Department of Landscaping Services. Photo courtesy: Jillian Russell

    An ode to campus trees and those who care for them

    ‘Sinners’ falls flat on first watch

    ‘Sinners’ falls flat on first watch

  • Opinion
    • All
    • Ask a Philosopher
    • Diary of a Black Girl
    • From The Editorial Board
    • Lavender Letters
    • Letters to the editor
    lavender letters graphic, a purple envelope with a purple letter, "lavender letters" is written in bold black font on the letter

    Lavender Letters: senior sign-off

    Diary of a Black Girl: senior sign-off

    Diary of a Black Girl: senior sign-off

    Opinion: How to avoid summertime sadness

    Opinion: How to avoid summertime sadness

    Ask a Philosopher: How do I quell my public speaking fears?

    Ask a Philosopher: Why do other people not understand me?

    A farewell from Opinion Editor Justice Rose

    A farewell from Opinion Editor Justice Rose

    Why evangelical Christians need to feel the heat on climate change

    Why evangelical Christians need to feel the heat on climate change

  • Special Projects
    • All
    • It's a Whole New Ball Game
    • Jordan Center Symposium
    • Rising Tides & Temperatures

    Jordan Center debuts with symposium addressing impact of social media, AI on democracy

    Richard Lui: News media must not make same mistakes with AI that it did with social media

    Elise Jordan: Artificial Intelligence will completely transform world

    Elise Jordan: Artificial Intelligence will completely transform world

    danah boyd: Journalism connects people in a healthy social fabric

    danah boyd: Journalism connects people in a healthy social fabric

    Meetali Jain holds Big Tech accountable

    Meetali Jain holds Big Tech accountable

    Dana Milbank asks, ‘Can free press survive the Trump era?’

    Dana Milbank asks, ‘Can free press survive the Trump era?’

  • Print / e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Applications
    • Advertise
      • Advertise with Us
      • Classifieds
    • Contact
    • Editorial Board
    • Policies
    • Daily Mississippian Staff 2025-26
  • News
    • All
    • Associated Student Body
    Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

    Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

    University cuts support for Oxford Pride

    University cuts support for Oxford Pride

    ASB expands legislative council, elects Wesley Templet president pro tempore

    ASB expands legislative council, elects Wesley Templet president pro tempore

    What goes into making Commencement happen for 5,500 graduates?

    What goes into making Commencement happen for 5,500 graduates?

    Stamps Impact Prize awarded to 15 students

    Stamps Impact Prize awarded to 15 students

    MPower sets on a new path amid low attendance

    MPower sets on a new path amid low attendance

  • Sports
    • All
    • Game Recap
    House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

    House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

    Ole Miss Softball takes series against Missouri

    Ole Miss Softball advances to World Series for first time in program history

    Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

    Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

    Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

    Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

    Ole Miss Softball dominates Rocket City Softball Showcase

    Ole Miss Softball battles through SEC Tournament

    Ole Miss softball falls to No. 1 Tennessee

    Ole Miss softball falls to No. 1 Tennessee

  • Arts & Culture
    Seniors cement their campus legacy with a brick

    Seniors cement their campus legacy with a brick

    Student photographers capture picture-perfect graduation moments

    Student photographers capture picture-perfect graduation moments

    Julien Baker & TORRES ‘send a prayer’ to Oxford

    Julien Baker & TORRES ‘send a prayer’ to Oxford

    Double Decker 28 rocks the Square

    Double Decker 28 rocks the Square

    Grove trees cared for by the Department of Landscaping Services. Photo courtesy: Jillian Russell

    An ode to campus trees and those who care for them

    ‘Sinners’ falls flat on first watch

    ‘Sinners’ falls flat on first watch

  • Opinion
    • All
    • Ask a Philosopher
    • Diary of a Black Girl
    • From The Editorial Board
    • Lavender Letters
    • Letters to the editor
    lavender letters graphic, a purple envelope with a purple letter, "lavender letters" is written in bold black font on the letter

    Lavender Letters: senior sign-off

    Diary of a Black Girl: senior sign-off

    Diary of a Black Girl: senior sign-off

    Opinion: How to avoid summertime sadness

    Opinion: How to avoid summertime sadness

    Ask a Philosopher: How do I quell my public speaking fears?

    Ask a Philosopher: Why do other people not understand me?

    A farewell from Opinion Editor Justice Rose

    A farewell from Opinion Editor Justice Rose

    Why evangelical Christians need to feel the heat on climate change

    Why evangelical Christians need to feel the heat on climate change

  • Special Projects
    • All
    • It's a Whole New Ball Game
    • Jordan Center Symposium
    • Rising Tides & Temperatures

    Jordan Center debuts with symposium addressing impact of social media, AI on democracy

    Richard Lui: News media must not make same mistakes with AI that it did with social media

    Elise Jordan: Artificial Intelligence will completely transform world

    Elise Jordan: Artificial Intelligence will completely transform world

    danah boyd: Journalism connects people in a healthy social fabric

    danah boyd: Journalism connects people in a healthy social fabric

    Meetali Jain holds Big Tech accountable

    Meetali Jain holds Big Tech accountable

    Dana Milbank asks, ‘Can free press survive the Trump era?’

    Dana Milbank asks, ‘Can free press survive the Trump era?’

  • Print / e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Applications
    • Advertise
      • Advertise with Us
      • Classifieds
    • Contact
    • Editorial Board
    • Policies
    • Daily Mississippian Staff 2025-26
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
No Result
View All Result

Column: Kermit Davis doesn’t want his players to kneel. They already weren’t

Sam HarresbySam Harres
April 2, 2018
Reading Time: 2 mins read

At his public introduction as head coach of Ole Miss basketball, Kermit Davis gave the usual answers. As a seasoned professional – a college coach for some 35 years – Davis knows how to handle the public.

So if you were wondering, yes, his teams are going to play fast, hard-nosed basketball. And apparently they’re going to transition well, too. One thing they won’t be doing, however, is disrespecting the flag during the national anthem.

“We’re going to play fast and smart in transition. We’re going to try to get easy baskets. We’re going to try to play with great body language,” Davis said at his introduction.

“We’re going to be a team that respects the flag and the national anthem. All of those things from culture is what we’re about. It’s who we’re going to be.”

Zero Ole Miss basketball players knelt for the national anthem during the 2017-2018 season. The same number of Rebels knelt during the 2016-2017 season’s anthems.

Ole Miss’ new men’s basketball head coach Kermit Davis speaks during his introductory press conference in the Pavilion on in March. Photo by Logan Conner

Ole Miss is not unique here; kneeling during the anthem – the “disrespect” Davis seemed to reference in his statement – is virtually unheard of at the collegiate level. A few members of the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team knelt before an exhibition game last October while College of Coastal Georgia players of both genders knelt during pregame anthems in November of 2017. But these are outliers. Kneeling just isn’t an issue in college basketball.

“I hate [my statement] caused anything. It was a four second clip,” Davis told The Daily Mississippian in an interview last Friday. “I respect that guys can have the freedom and platforms and voice their opinions.”

It is not Davis’ personal opinion that raises concern – he is free to think what he wants – but rather his declaration’s timing and setting. Unprompted and in front of fans and members of the media, Davis shared his personal thoughts on a highly controversial issue. Now, he is offering some context for his quote.

“We agreed, in our locker room [at MTSU] that the thing we were going to think about when the national anthem was played is that all men and women of all creeds – black, white, Hispanic, and Asians – who have lost their lives for our country and gave us the great freedom to play basketball on this day. And in our locker room they said ‘cool coach, that’s good.’”

Davis’ former players told him it was okay to have a no-kneeling policy at MTSU. And why wouldn’t they? Davis had direct control over their playing time.

Those players knew better than to speak up.

Colin Kaepernick spoke up two years ago. Today, the six-season NFL veteran is still without a contract. It’s too bad his coach didn’t talk to him about respecting the flag beforehand in the locker room.

In Case You Missed It

House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

2 weeks ago
Ole Miss Softball takes series against Missouri

Ole Miss Softball advances to World Series for first time in program history

4 weeks ago
Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

1 month ago
Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

1 month ago
Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

1 month ago
Ole Miss Softball dominates Rocket City Softball Showcase

Ole Miss Softball battles through SEC Tournament

1 month ago

Column: Kermit Davis doesn’t want his players to kneel. They already weren’t

Sam HarresbySam Harres
April 2, 2018
Reading Time: 2 mins read

At his public introduction as head coach of Ole Miss basketball, Kermit Davis gave the usual answers. As a seasoned professional – a college coach for some 35 years – Davis knows how to handle the public.

So if you were wondering, yes, his teams are going to play fast, hard-nosed basketball. And apparently they’re going to transition well, too. One thing they won’t be doing, however, is disrespecting the flag during the national anthem.

“We’re going to play fast and smart in transition. We’re going to try to get easy baskets. We’re going to try to play with great body language,” Davis said at his introduction.

“We’re going to be a team that respects the flag and the national anthem. All of those things from culture is what we’re about. It’s who we’re going to be.”

Zero Ole Miss basketball players knelt for the national anthem during the 2017-2018 season. The same number of Rebels knelt during the 2016-2017 season’s anthems.

Ole Miss’ new men’s basketball head coach Kermit Davis speaks during his introductory press conference in the Pavilion on in March. Photo by Logan Conner

Ole Miss is not unique here; kneeling during the anthem – the “disrespect” Davis seemed to reference in his statement – is virtually unheard of at the collegiate level. A few members of the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team knelt before an exhibition game last October while College of Coastal Georgia players of both genders knelt during pregame anthems in November of 2017. But these are outliers. Kneeling just isn’t an issue in college basketball.

“I hate [my statement] caused anything. It was a four second clip,” Davis told The Daily Mississippian in an interview last Friday. “I respect that guys can have the freedom and platforms and voice their opinions.”

It is not Davis’ personal opinion that raises concern – he is free to think what he wants – but rather his declaration’s timing and setting. Unprompted and in front of fans and members of the media, Davis shared his personal thoughts on a highly controversial issue. Now, he is offering some context for his quote.

“We agreed, in our locker room [at MTSU] that the thing we were going to think about when the national anthem was played is that all men and women of all creeds – black, white, Hispanic, and Asians – who have lost their lives for our country and gave us the great freedom to play basketball on this day. And in our locker room they said ‘cool coach, that’s good.’”

Davis’ former players told him it was okay to have a no-kneeling policy at MTSU. And why wouldn’t they? Davis had direct control over their playing time.

Those players knew better than to speak up.

Colin Kaepernick spoke up two years ago. Today, the six-season NFL veteran is still without a contract. It’s too bad his coach didn’t talk to him about respecting the flag beforehand in the locker room.

In Case You Missed It

House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

2 weeks ago
Ole Miss Softball takes series against Missouri

Ole Miss Softball advances to World Series for first time in program history

4 weeks ago
Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

1 month ago
Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

1 month ago
Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

1 month ago
Ole Miss Softball dominates Rocket City Softball Showcase

Ole Miss Softball battles through SEC Tournament

1 month ago

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
Mississippi Press Association
Sign up for our weekly newsletter!
  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Special Projects
  • Print / e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Applications
    • Advertise
      • Advertise with Us
      • Classifieds
    • Contact
    • Editorial Board
    • Policies
    • Daily Mississippian Staff 2025-26

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

Republish this article

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Unless otherwise noted, you can republish most of The Daily Mississippian’s stories for free under a Creative Commons license.

For digital publications:
Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the HTML code and paste it into your Content Management System (CMS).
Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services, click here.
You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
Any website our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @thedailymississippian on Facebook and @thedm_news on X (formerly Twitter).

For print publications:
You have to credit The Daily Mississippian. We prefer “Author Name, The Daily Mississippian” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by The Daily Mississippian” and include our website, thedmonline.com.
You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor Michael Guidry for more information). To learn more about our cartoon syndication services, click here.
Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories.
You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection.
Any website our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
If you have any other questions, contact the Student Media Center at Ole Miss.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Special Projects
  • Print / e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Applications
    • Advertise
      • Advertise with Us
      • Classifieds
    • Contact
    • Editorial Board
    • Policies
    • Daily Mississippian Staff 2025-26

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00