This spring and summer, ESPN fanned out across the country and spoke with 99 players* from every major conference about the impact of Eric Striker, and the relationship between race and college football on their campuses. As you may recall, Striker, Oklahoma's star linebacker, posted a viral 19-second Snapchat reaction to a racist OU frat video back in March.
We asked the athletes to identify their ethnicity (that breakdown is at the bottom), and we promised anonymity in exchange for honest answers to difficult questions.
Here are those answers.
* Not every player answered every question.
If you were a recruit, would you still consider Oklahoma after seeing the fraternity's video?
Overall
Yes: 63% No: 37%
African-Americans
Yes: 54% No: 44% Maybe: 2%
Caucasians
Yes: 81% No: 19%
"I would never go there. When things like that happen, you have to think: Who am I playing for right now? Do these letters I'm wearing mean something?" -- Mountain West player (African-American)
"Honestly, yes. I think they handled it well. The team stood together and the school showed it wouldn't tolerate that. It's hard to judge a football program based on a fraternity." -- Big Ten player (Caucasian)
"There are ignorant people everywhere. Just because the fraternity at Oklahoma got caught doesn't mean it couldn't happen somewhere else. I would talk with the guys on the team about their experiences beyond the video. They would be the people that would ultimately determine if I feel comfortable there." -- AAC player (African-American)
Yes or no: I have personally witnessed racism on campus.
Overall
Yes: 47%; No: 53%
African-Americans
Yes: 47%; No: 53%
Caucasians
Yes: 47% N: 53%
"Any big campus you have, you're going to have race issues. It's assumed if you're on campus and you're African-American, you play a sport. That sucks." -- Mountain West player (African-American)
"I've been at parties when a kid comes up and says, 'What's up, my n-----?' They don't understand that's not OK. It's not as much pure racism -- 'I hate black people' -- it's that they've never been around that many black people, so they don't understand when certain things are OK and certain things aren't." -- Pac-12 player (African-American)
Has the coaching staff or athletic administration ever addressed racism on campus with the team?
Overall
Yes: 54% No: 46%
African-Americans
Yes: 44% No: 56%
Caucasians
Yes: 68% No: 32%
"Our coach emphasizes diversity every year. Even when we eat, he wants diversity. When we're hanging out, he doesn't want us to be in our cliques." -- Pac-12 player (Caucasian)
Do you think fans treat minority-group athletes the same way as white athletes?
Overall
Yes: 64% No: 36%
African-Americans
Yes: 64% No: 33% Not sure: 2%
Caucasians
Yes: 68% No: 32%
"If you're a great player, regardless of race, the fans embrace you. If you're not the best player, you may not get any love at all. I don't think race has much to do with it." -- ACC player (African-American)
"I feel like people look at me differently. Long hair, tattoos, they think I'm scary before getting to know me." -- Mountain West player (Polynesian)
"Minority athletes seem to have harsher penalties for what we do wrong." -- C-USA player (African-American)
Did racial demographics affect your choice for college?
Overall
Yes: 8% No: 92%
African-Americans
Yes: 13% No: 87%
Caucasians
Yes: 3% No: 97%
"No, it didn't affect my decision. When you're 18, you're thinking about what gear you're going to get and what's your best shot at the NFL." -- Mountain West player (African-American)
"I remember during recruiting, I talked to players from the South and they said you keep to your own. The fans are going to love you until you start dating their daughter. And that's the truth." -- Pac-12 player (African-American)
If you were a recruit and saw a Confederate flag on a campus you were visiting, would you still consider going to that college?
Overall
Yes: 59% No: 34% Depends: 7%
African-Americans
Yes: 43% No: 49% Depends: 8%
Caucasians
Yes: 81% No: 13% Depends: 6%
"I might still consider it, but it'd be hard. I'd have to think about why they have the flag and what their reasons are." -- Mountain West player (African-American)
"Probably not. I'm going to spend four years of my life trying to become a man and I have to deal with that too?" -- Pac-12 player (African-American)
"Yes. I see Confederate flags all the time. Some people hang them on their walls at home. Those are just people you need to stay away from." -- Big 12 player (African-American)
Have you ever heard a racial slur from fans on game day?
Overall
Yes: 42% No: 58%
African-Americans
Yes: 35% No: 65%
Caucasians
Yes: 56% No: 44%
"It depends on the rowdiness of the crowd, but I hear slurs at pretty much every game." -- Mountain West player (Caucasian)
Racial/ethnicity breakdown for the survey: African-American: 55% (54 participants) Caucasian: 32% (32 participants) Biracial: 8% (8 participants) Other: 5% (5 participants)