OXFORD, Ohio – A student at Miami University of Ohio says an American Indian headdress he wore to show school spirit got him thrown out of a home football game.
Victor Kopen, a senior at the southwest Ohio university, said he was not at the Oct. 23 game “to make a political statement of any kind, just to support the football team,” Cincinnati’s WCPO-TV reported.
University trustees, citing respect for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, voted to drop the name Redskins as its athletic nickname in 1996 after the tribe approved a resolution saying it could no longer support use of the nickname. Trustees adopted the RedHawks name the following year.
Although the university does not have a written policy addressing American Indian attire, it is discouraged by staff at athletic events, university spokeswoman Claire Wagner said.
“We want students to be able to express themselves, but to do it responsibly and respectfully,” she said Tuesday.
University officials are looking into Kopen’s claim.
Kopen said ushers asked him to remove his headdress three times during the game against Ohio University and then asked him to leave.
