Not long after the Minnesota football players stood in front of cameras to discuss their immediate boycott of all football-related activities including the Holiday Bowl, the University’s athletic director and president released a statement.

On Thursday night, Mark Coyle and Eric Kaler responded to statements and requests made by the Gopher football players.

Here is the release:

The below statement is from University of Minnesota President Eric W. Kaler and Athletic Director Mark Coyle in response to a statement read earlier this evening by members of the Gophers Football team:
We understand that a lot of confusion and frustration exists as a result of this week’s suspension of 10 Gopher Football players from all team activities. The reality is that not everyone can have all of the facts, and unfortunately the University cannot share more information due to federal laws regarding student privacy. We fully support our Gopher football players and all of our student-athletes. Situations like this are always difficult and the decision was made in consultation with and has the full support of President Eric Kaler. The decision was based on facts and is reflective of the University’s values.
We want to continue an open dialogue with our players and will work to do that over the coming days. It’s important that we continue to work together as we move through this difficult time.