Have you seen Duke’s new helmets? There’s a small but very important change.
College football programs often make alterations to their game uniforms before a new season and Duke has done that for 2020.
Call it a sign of the times. Or, some hope and believe, changing times.
Duke’s football helmets traditionally have had a blue or white “D” decal on the sides. But for Saturday’s season opener at Notre Dame, the Blue Devils had a black “D” logo on their helmets with a Black Lives Matter clenched fist symbol on the back of the headgear.
That will be a fixture this season, Duke coach David Cutcliffe said this week. It was a decision made after “a lot of conversation” with his team.
“All of our players input, not just our players of color but every one of our players,” Cutcliffe said on his media call. “And you know that that’s a vote for their teammates. That that’s a strong feeling of unity. And that’s how you grow in a difficult time. You do it together.
“And so to honor our teammates of color, the black D’s will be worn all year long. That’s not representing any organizations or anything. It’s representing the strength of our teammates and our belief that Black Lives do matter.”
The new decals were mentioned on the NBC national telecast as the Irish took a 27-13 victory at Notre Dame Stadium.
“It’s one of the ways Duke players are making their expression about the current climate in the country.” NBC’s Mike Tirico said on the telecast.
Another way Duke athletes have expressed their feelings about social injustice and systemic racism in the country was at a Black Lives Matter gathering on the Duke campus late last month.
The protest was quickly organized by Nolan Smith, a former Duke basketball guard and the director of operations and player development for Mike Krzyzewski’s program. It came after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the killing of two protesters by a 17-year-old white male, after the decision by NBA players to boycott games.
An estimated 500 people gathered at “Krzyzewskiville” near Cameron Indoor Stadium. Among those addressing the crowd was Krzyzewski and Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson, who said, “Equality, in theory, is a basic principle but for our country it’s been very complicated. It’s been hard to rationalize for over 400 years. There’s a lot of anxiety involved in it.”
Cutcliffe was at the gathering along with other Blue Devils football coaches and players such as Chris Rumph II, Deon Jackson and Jalon Calhoun. Cutcliffe said there had been a team meeting that lasted an hour and was filled with emotion.
“There’s a lot of intensity surrounding these issues,” Cutcliffe said.
Duke plays its home opener Saturday against Boston College at Wallace Wade Stadium. No national telecast this time but a statement again will be made with the uniform choice by the Blue Devils. With the new look to the helmet.
“It’s a great way to show that to college football and the media and everything,” quarterback Chase Brice said this week. “We’re all on board with that decision.”
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 2:18 PM.
