As our country continues to grapple with the issue of racial equality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the Iowa football program is also grappling with racial issues of their own.

On Monday, Head Coach Kirk Ferentz addressed the Iowa team via a Zoom call after a few current players wondered on social media why their head coach was silent over the weekend while many other coaches issued statements on social media.

Ferentz issued a heartfelt message after speaking with his African American assistant coaches and players who had expressed concern for his lack of a statement.

Ferentz continued those discussions with his players during the week and spoke with the media via Zoom during the week and again addressed the issues revolving around race in our country and embraced the idea of change.

“Football is important to us, but what’s going on in real life certainly impacts all of us,” he said. “I think the important thing is everybody in our program, every one of our coaches, our support staff, our players, even our fans realize that change is really needed right now, and it’s in our hands to try to do something with it. I think, certainly, if anybody has been paying attention over the last several days, I’m guessing a lot of perspectives have changed, and that’s really the first step to changing mindsets and that clearly has to be done right now.”

That change is also being demanded now by several of his former players. The discussion began on Twitter late in the week, primarily started by James Daniels. The former Iowa center and current Chicago Bear first spoke regarding the Hawkeyes potentially taking a knee during the national anthem this season.

That set off a very spirited debate on social media and the message boards about the anthem and kneeling. Friday the discussion went to another level when Daniels and several of his former teammates and other African American players openly discussed the racial disparities within the program.

The first to speak on the issue today was former defensive lineman Faith Ekakitie responded to a tweet from wide receivers coach Kelton Copeland, who was highlighting Kirk Ferentz and his appearance on ESPN this week.

Then this evening, Daniels once again raised the issue to racial disparity within the program and black players being treated differently than other players. It lead to many players weighing in with their experiences and how they essentially felt that they couldn't be themselves while they spent time in the Iowa football complex.

Former Hawkeye Amani Hooker and current Tennessee Titan Amani Hooker addressed the issue of comfort in a tweet in response to Daniels comments about racial disparity.

Perhaps the most troubling accusation from a former player came from Emmanuel Rugamba, who played at Iowa through the 2017 season before transferring to Miami (OH). His tweet suggested that long time Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, who has been on Ferentz staff since he arrived in Iowa City, has made racial insensitive remarks to a black player.

While Ferentz isn't on social media, he was made aware of the firestorm taking place on Friday evening and issued a heartfelt statement that while he wished the players would have come directly to him with their concerns, he is continuing to listen and is reaching out to the players individually.