Kermit Davis, the University of Mississippi's new basketball coach, declared on Monday that under his leadership, the team and its athletes would respect the national anthem and the American flag.
Davis, who previously served as head coach at Middle Tennessee State University from 2002 to 2018, was chosen to take the helm of the basketball program at Ole Miss last week. In his first appearance after taking the position, Davis waded into the fray by directly addressing the controversy over the national anthem that has set the collegiate and national sports leagues ablaze, according to NBC News.
During the press conference, Davis was initially asked how his personal and professional leadership style would impact the team. His remarks started off benign, mainly focused on the culture he hoped to instill around the Ole Miss Rebels.
"What is Ole Miss Basketball going to look like?" Davis asked rhetorically. "It’s going to be relentless, athletic, explosive, a team that’s going to have to play on and on and on to beat. It’s going to be a team that’s going to be unselfish."
Davis then proceeded to declare that under his leadership, the team would not be sidetracked by protests against the national anthem or the American flag.
"We’re going to be a respectful team that respects the flag and the National Anthem," Davis said. "All those things from culture is what we’re about. It’s who we’re going to be."