Football Coach Abruptly Quits, Leaves 'All Lives Matter to Our Lord & Savior Jesus' Sign on Office Door
A coach at an FCS program in Illinois abruptly quit his job last week and left behind nothing but a message on his office door to remind those behind that every life matters to God.
Local newspaper The Pantagraph reported that Illinois State University offensive coordinator Kurt Beathard, who had been with the team since 2018, resigned from the school on Wednesday amid a bizarre saga that included a Black Lives Matter sign in the team’s locker room and another sign on his door.
NORMAL — Kurt Beathard told The Pantagraph Thursday that his sudden departure as Illinois State football offensive coordinator followed him putting a sign on his office door that read “All Lives Matter to Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.” https://t.co/kSXF6H7PSQ
— The Pantagraph (@Pantagraph) September 25, 2020
The Black Lives Matter movement, a leftist group that aims to take down the American family and has been terrorizing citizens of large cities for months, has taken hold of sports.
From NFL franchises to FCS programs, the movement has politicized American football and created strife within locker rooms.
The Illinois State Redbirds football team has not been spared by rising national tensions.
The Pantagraph reported that a Black Lives Matter poster was taken down from the team locker room recently without permission.
Someone apparently connected the sign removal to Beathard, who denied it.
“That locker room crap is wrong,” Beathard told the newspaper.
“I took the sign down somebody put on my door. That’s it,” he added. “I didn’t take anything off that wasn’t put on my door.”
Beathard was adamant that he had not touched any team signage that was not related to his office.
But regarding another message, one that was written on his door after he quit, he said, “I wrote the message.”
The coach left a sign on his office door that read “All Lives Matter to Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.”
FCS coordinator replaces #BLM sign with “All lives matter to our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ” sign on office door.
No longer with program… https://t.co/VwrUxnGie5 pic.twitter.com/yAgouQXFDS
— FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) September 28, 2020
Beathard would not speak on the matter further.
The team’s head coach, Brock Spack, would not comment on Beathard’s resignation, nor would ISU athletic director Larry Lyons.
Beathard was on his second stint with the Redbirds, and his family has a long history with football, according to his university biography, which is still up.
Beathard’s father was once the general manager of the team formerly known as Washington Redskins and also of the San Diego Chargers.
The Redksins are now simply known as The Washington Football team, and the Chargers of course now reside in Los Angeles.
Beathard’s nephew C. J. Beathard is a backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
Illinois State University, located in Normal, Illinois, is far from cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. — where football has been hijacked by leftist politics.
But the school has not been spared by the leftist in-your-face messaging that has divided players, coaches and fans everywhere.
Beathard, though, got in the last word when he left a message of his own on the office door.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.