Indiana Wide Receiver Whop Philyor is Happy the Indiana Staff is Behind Him Regarding Social Injustice
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Whop Philyor brings in a pass during fall camp Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Social injustice is nothing new to this country, however the movements and protests demanding social justice were rekindled after a rash of deaths of black and brown skinned people reached a boiling point with the murder of George Floyd on May 25th by a Minneapolis police officer. Indiana wide receiver Whop Philyor has been outspoken on the topic and is happy to have a coach and a staff that are behind him.
“It was very important to me that I was getting out there letting my voice be heard. I am happy that the staff is behind me because it is not doing anything but educating people” Philyor said during a Zoom conference Friday morning following Indiana’s second practice of the fall.
Philyor believes that his coach has the power to influence others and while some have voiced their disagreement with the Black Lives Matter movement, Philyor believes that Coach Allen’s voice can help spur change.
“If they see Coach Tom Allen doing it, they are like, maybe it is the right thing to do. Some people do not think it is the right thing to do, being for Black Lives Matter. Not everybody thinks that Black Lives Matter. To see Coach Allen doing it, I am not going to lie, it really made me happy. It made me love him even more” Philyor added.
Since arriving at IU in 2016, Tom Allen’s slogan has been L(ove) E(ach) O(ther). In June, Allen and the football program put out a powerful video explaining why LEO is so important and why it is even more important now.
“The core values of who we are is L E O it stands for love each other” Allen explained as the video opens. “Here's why it's such a big deal. Every single person is affected by those three words, everybody, every coach, every player, everything you do. That's why L E O is so huge. Because love has got nothing to do with you. When you choose to love somebody you choose to accept all that goes with it. all the stuff that nobody really wants to deal with all the hard things. That's why it is so powerful, of a word, because it's unconditional. When it's pure, and when it's right.”
Philyor is full of hope and is trying to use football as an avenue to spread the L E O message. “So, if they see Coach Allen doing it, maybe the Coach Ryan Day (Ohio State head football coach) will be like, man Coach Allen is on board, let me get on board so I can have my players on board. Then it is going to start a chain reaction. When Ohio State is doing it, Penn State is doing it, and then people in football are just going to educate people because everybody loves football. Everybody loves us, so they will be like man, maybe it is the right thing to do. Maybe it is the right thing to care about somebody other than myself” he said.
Allen has shown that he genuinely loves each and every player on his team and Philyor notices that. Philyor had an emotional talk with Allen over the summer as events started to unfold in and around Bloomington. Including an incident on Lake Monroe that involved several football players and another group of people that further divided the general public on social injustice.
“I was really happy that Coach Allen got on board” Philyor said. I was really happy because he let me come in the office and explain to him. I was crying with this man. If I cry in front of a person that means that I love them, I trust them. So, I trust this man with my life. It is big that Coach Allen and the staff are behind us on that. I am so happy that I am part of Indiana the LEO. It is a brand-new wave, man. We really love each other out here. We do not just love each other, we love others, outside of the building. We love our haters. I am just so happy to be a part of this team and this culture.”
Whop Philyor may have the most impact on the field catching passes for the Hoosiers, but he is hoping that the support that the Indiana football staff shows him and the battle to eliminate social injustice is just at impactful to the public.