Texas football players forced to stay on field for ‘The Eyes of Texas’ to appease angry boosters
Texas football players said they were forced to remain on the field for the postgame sing-a-long of “The Eyes Of Texas,” the Longhorns’ controversial fight song.
The controversy surrounding “The Eyes Of Texas” is gaining steam.
On Wednesday, the Texas Tribune reported that Texas officials told players they had to be present for the singing of fight song after home games, warning them against angering wealthy donors.
Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown relayed the response he received for speaking out against the song on Twitter.
When we put out the statement, I received many hateful things including death threats! But that never bothered me...it was the promises that were broken and the fact that they TRIED to strip us of our freedom. No where in my NIL does it say “you have to sing” to play here.
— DeMarvion Overshown (@AGENT0__) March 2, 2021
He was also quoted by the Tribune, referring to the threat of powerful Texas donors who could “keep you from getting a job in the state of Texas.”
“It was shocking that they said that,” Overshown said. “To this day, I still think back to the moment. They really used that as a threat to get us to try to do what they wanted us to do.”
Another unnamed player claimed it was athletic director Chis Del Conte and former head coach Tom Herman who told the players about the angry response from donors.
Del Conte refuted the claim.
The Texas Tribune sources corroborated a tweet by Caden Sterns, a former All-Big 12 safety for the Longhorns.
My teammates and I got threatened by some alumni that we would have to find jobs outside of Texas if we didn’t participate. https://t.co/owWwHF50ri
— Caden Sterns (@CSterns_7) March 1, 2021
“The Eyes of Texas” has a dark history beyond being the Longhorn’s fight song
“The Eyes of Texas” may sound like “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad,” but its origins are anything but child’s play.
The song gained popularity on campus in the early 1900s as part of minstrel shows with singers in blackface performing the number. The line “The Eyes of Texas are upon you” refers to a Robert E. Lee quote. Verses like “You cannot get away / Do not think you can escape them” have been highlighted by some as a message directed towards slaves.
There is disagreement about the nature of the song and whether its place as a staple of Longhorn athletics should remain. However, Texas players who expressed discomfort with the song being told they would face employment retribution is undoubtedly out of bounds.
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