Tom Allen a Vocal Leader for Change Using His LEO Philosophy
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Tom Allen has been vocal about social injustice Image: Amanda Pavelka Hoosier Huddle
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Tom Allen’s message is not a new one. In fact, the Indiana University head football coach has spoken about love, acceptance and compassion for one another since the day he took over as IU’s defensive coordinator more than five years ago. The nationwide protests and civil unrest following the brutal but all too familiar murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer have made Allen’s cry to love each other, or “LEO”, more urgent than ever. Allen was the first collegiate football coach publicly speak out in support of the protests. He did not do it to be first or to grab attention. He did it because he believes in the cause.
“I had no idea (that he was the first coach to speak out),” Allen told the CFB Daily podcast. “I really did not. Matter of fact, until someone told me later I just assumed others had an idea and that had nothing to do with it. So, no, I really wasn’t thinking about that at all. I guess sometimes you just gotta stick your neck out there and be the first one sometimes.”
On May 29, Tom Allen tweeted the following: “My heart is broken by what is going on in our country. Racial injustice is wrong and it MUST be addressed!! I believe we are to LOVE EACH OTHER! No matter one’s skin color. Love is a choice. Our prayers are with George Floyd’s family. John 15:12”.
The tweet was met with overwhelming support from the Indiana University community, current and former players of Coach Allen’s and the college football world and others soon followed suit, following Tom Allen’s lead. Coach Allen has boldly demanded that loving each other be a key tenet of his football program and the culture change he spurred off the field within the IU football program has helped lead to success on the field for the Hoosiers. The Indiana native knew he could not sit idly by and watch things that did not fit his core ideology unfold.
“My heart is telling me I need to say something, that sitting in silence is wrong. I just feel like the silence was wrong because of who I represent and what our team is made up of,” Allen told national college football reporter for The Athletic, Bruce Feldman.
In the days that have followed, Indiana University has put out a couple of different videos and a good statement from athletics director Fred Glass. The IU football team released a powerful video showcasing how “LEO” is a core value of the program and finishing with the words “We see you, we hear you, we stand with you.”
Tom Allen spoke to the media on Wednesday via Zoom and he continued to vocally support the ongoing protests and the need for change in this country. “In regards to our players and everything they’re going through right now and in our country, continue to listen and support. That’s my biggest focus at this stage of what’s going on. As an entire staff, continue to have open dialogue with our guys and just be able to be there for them and to help through this process of learning how to properly stand up for what you believe in.”
The excitement and joy was clear in Tom Allen’s voice when he was asked about getting his players back on campus. Not just for football reasons, he just wants to be with them. “I can’t wait to see them. It’s been so long. Seems like it and it really has. I’d love give them a big ole bear hug. Probably going to have to give them either a fist bump or an elbow bump or whatever the protocol is for that. Just to be able to see them face-to-face it’s such a huge part of who we are here. I love being around them. I love to spend time with them.”
When asked about helping his team and his players grow through all that has happened in the past couple of months, from the pandemic, to the deaths of Cam Wilson’s parents, to the murder of George Floyd and the ongoing racial injustices in the United States, to the murder of Chris Beaty, Tom Allen came back to his core belief: LEO.
“That’s why LEO is to me is such a big deal. It’s what I believed in my whole coaching career. I brought it here and I believe in it and I stand by it because it’s about life and it’s just transferrable to the field. That’s what we are trying to do here. I just love our guys. I care about them, I knew they were hurting. I’d been talking to them, I’ve had interaction with them, I knew there was a lot going on. I have a tremendous responsibility in this role to mentor and to lead many young men from all different backgrounds, all different races, all different types of upbringings and we talk about that a lot. That’s what LEO to me is about. It’s about the choice, choosing to love the people around you and accepting the responsibilities that love brings with it.”
Those are not just words to Tom Allen. “LEO” is not just some slogan to throw in at the end of each interview. He believes in those words. He lives those words. He teaches those words and tries his best to instill the same core principle in each player or person he comes in contact with. That is evident in his work with special needs organization DAMAR. It is evident in his relationships with former players, even ones that have transferred from the program. It is also abundantly clear as he taken the lead on the collegiate football response to systemic injustices in the United States and the desperate need for immediate police reform. The way Tom Allen became Indiana University’s head football coach is not necessarily the way you would “draw it up” in a perfect world. Since that time though, he has made it clear that he is the right man for this job and I can say that I am very proud to have him leading the Hoosiers.