‘Don’t You Guys Sleep In Trees?’: Black College Football Player Quits School Team After Suffering Racism from Teammates He Lived with
A Black college football player whose dream was to play for a university in Illinois had to hang up his jersey after enduring intense racial discrimination and hostility from the teammates he lived with. Brock Williams set his sights on playing college football at NCAA Division III Aurora University after visiting the campus and learning about the team. Brock Williams (Photo: YouTube screenshot/WLS) "I was so stuck on Aurora and like the picture they painted of the brotherhood," Williams told WLS. What came next after he was admitted to the school this past August turned his dream on its head. ‘This Is Unacceptable!: Black Woman Forced to Give Birth In Truck After Being Kicked Out of Indiana Hospital and Denied Care, Video Shows He decided to live at his teammates' house to save time commuting to and from school and said he was the only Black person living in the household, where he quickly became the target of racist harassment. "One of my teammates had called me the N-word and was like, 'You better not go in my room,'" Williams said. He added that some of the players would pass off derogatory statements as jokes. "Another teammate I had of mine came in, and was like, 'What are you doing sleeping here? Don't you guys sleep in trees?'" Williams recalled. "In that moment, I knew it clicked, that he was calling me a monkey." Williams said that he even heard one remark referencing George Floyd that he took as a threat. Williams reported the harassment to the school and told university officials that one of his teammates even warned him that "some of the guys are racist," according to an investigative report. "For the first time in my life, I felt like I could not protect my child, and I've never had that feeling before," Brock's mother, Aisha Williams, said. "These boys, they're living their American dream while he's stuck, sad, afraid, hurt, doesn't know his next move." The school concluded "there was no evidence that had any motivation to fabricate the allegations… and it is clear something significant happened." However, there's no clear indication whether the university took steps to question or penalize the accused players. In the end, Williams left the team and the school altogether, and all without ever playing in one game. "Sometimes at night, just lying in the bed, like, asking myself, am I enough? Like, did I deserve this?" Williams said. His family says they're planning to take legal action against the school. The university sent a statement to WLS in response to an inquiry about Williams' allegations: Aurora University is deeply committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive community where every student feels valued and supported. We take any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously. While federal law prevents the university from sharing details about specific student or employee matters, including internal investigations or outcomes, the university follows established policies and procedures when reviewing and evaluating reports such as these to ensure an expeditious and thorough review. Every report is carefully reviewed and investigated in accordance with these policies, and appropriate and responsive action is taken whenever policy violations are found.
