Arkansas State removes cross decals from helmets after complaint
Arkansas State has removed decals of crosses from the back of its football helmets after a complaint.
The decal was located in the middle of the helmet stripe. If you saw the picture of Jemar Clark and Darion Griswold forming an accidental National Lampoon's Vacation joke against Tennessee, you got a good look at the decal.
Picture of the day. Check out the last names on the back of these jerseys pic.twitter.com/L5ABNJDuzR
— Matt Barber (@dixiefriedsport) September 6, 2014
The sticker was honoring DL Markel Owens and equipment manager Barry Weyer Jr. Owens and stepfather Johnny Shivers were shot in an attempted robbery in January. Weyer was killed in a car accident with three others in June. The initials of Owens and Weyer were on each side of the sticker.
Since Arkansas State is a public university, you can see how this was a problem. On Wednesday, Arkansas State athletic director Terry Mohajir released a statement that said the school would be removing the crosses from the helmets after it received a complaint from an attorney.
"I am 100 percent in support of our coaches' and players' expression of faith, as well as their choice to honor the two individuals associated with our team who passed away by voluntarily wearing a cross decal on the back of their helmets. Unfortunately, we have received a complaint that use of the cross violates the Constitutional prohibition against separation of church and state."
"After consulting with University counsel, we have been advised to either modify the decal or remove it completely. Thus, in order to ensure that we are in full compliance with Constitutional law, we will be modifying the decal to still honor the two individuals who are no longer with us."
According to KAIT8.com, Mohajir said the decision to place the cross on the helmets came from the players and coaches.
Helmet decals as a remembrance for the deceased are a very common occurrence. However, the stickers are typically in the shape of a circle or oval. While we agree with Arkansas State's sentiments, given the university's status as a public institution, an innocuous shape should have been the initial choice.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
