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Kinnick Stadium, statue of Nile Kinnick vandalized at Iowa

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

The outside of Kinnick Stadium and the statue of iconic former Iowa football player Nile Kinnick were vandalized on Saturday night, with several messages spray-painted around the area.

Protesters marched through the area in Iowa City on Saturday night as part of the nationwide movement condemning racial injustice and police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

At some point in the evening, a handful of individuals used spray paint to vandalize the outside of Kinnick Stadium as well as the statue of Nile Kinnick. Over the weekend, several former Hawkeye football players spoke for a cultural shift in the program, saying there were “racial disparities” that had been carried on for years. Many of the examples used involved strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle.

Doyle was placed on administrative leave and an independent investigation will look into the allegations.

Mike OBrien of KCRG in Cedar Rapids posted photos and videos of the vandalism to the stadium and statue on Saturday night.

Kinnick was a member of the Iowa football team from 1937-39 and was the winner of the Heisman Trophy in his final season with the program. He then served in the United States Navy and died in 1943 during a training flight.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB