By Dylan Deprey
Austin Hawkins
Another Milwaukee suburban school and another racial incident has led to the men’s head basketball coach of Bryant and Stratton College to resign earlier this week.
Austin Hawkins voluntarily resigned from his position on Nov. 19, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Hawkins joined the coaching staff in July 2019. During that time, the college was notified about incidents of the coach using an “Inappropriate racial term” on Oct. 16.
The Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee addressed the incident online and in person.
“This man was in an authoritative position and he was supposed to be a mentor, a coach and somebody to rely on, and that just didn’t happen when he referred to his player as the ‘N-Word,’” said King Rick, Original Black Panther of Milwaukee General.
While outside Bryant and Stratton’s Wauwatosa campus on Oct. 28, OBP demanded Hawkins be fired for using the “N-word” with an African American player. They said if no action was taken, they would start disrupting sporting events.
The Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee
He said it felt like some people in the community wanted the incident swept under the rug, as the school kept quiet for several weeks. He added that OBP and the concerned community flooded the Bryant and Stratton sports department with calls demanding action.
Following the protest and pending investigation, it was reported that Hawkins was put on administrative leave on Nov. 8.
Rick said Bryant and Stratton’s general response to the incident was far from genuine or timely.
“For this to transpire, and a month later they decide to do something really shows me they don’t care about the African American community because he should have been fired right away,” he said. “They investigated the incident and still kept him there.”
He said he wants the athletic director and president either to resign or be fired, as they initially attempted to cover the incident.
The Milwaukee Courier has made multiple attempts to reach out to Bryant and Stratton for comment on the incident and the length in investigation, but have not heard back.