Nov 09, 2015 11:12 AM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The University of Missouri (UM) football team is getting involved in a protest demanding the school system president's resignation, which could wind up costing the school $1 million.

The protestors began demonstrating under the name "Concerned Student 1950," which is the year the school admitted its first black student. At issue is a string of racist incidents on MU's campus that the protestors believe have been mishandled by the school's president, Tim Wolfe, The Columbia Tribune reported.

On Saturday, the Missouri Tigers' black players announced they were standing with Concerned Student 1950. On day later, UM head football coach Gary Pinkel announced he and the whole team were as well.

In the statement posted to Twitter, the team stated they "will no longer participate in any football related activities until President Tim Wolfe resigns or is removed due to his negligence toward marginalized students' experiences."

The football players will not practice or play until Jonathan Butler, a UM graduate student who began a hunger strike last Monday in relation to the protests, eats again. Missing a football game is never profitable for a school, but UM also has a contract in place with Brigham Young University (BYU). If UM's team does not play on Saturday, the school will have to pay BYU $1 million for breaking the contract, The Washington Post noted.

One MU football player, speaking with ESPN on the condition of anonymity, said the entire team is not all in on the protest.

"As much as we want to say everyone is united, half the team and coaches - black and white - are pissed," the player said.

"Our focus right now is on the health of Jonathan Butler, the concerns of our student-athletes and working with our community to address this serious issue," Pinkel and Mizzou athletic director Mack Rhoades said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. "After meeting with the team this morning, it is clear they do not plan to return to practice until Jonathan resumes eating."

According to The Post, African-American students on UM's campus have complained about being called by racial slurs and in once instance there was a swastika made from smeared feces in a residence hall bathroom. Twice demonstrators confronted Wolfe about addressing such racist incidents and both times he came off as standoffish and dismissive.

"I am thankful for the leadership provided by him and the other student leaders in raising awareness of racism, injustice, and intolerance. This afternoon I also met with representatives of several student groups and I value their input and hear their voices," he said in a statement Friday. "Racism does exist at our university and it is unacceptable. It is a long-standing, systemic problem which daily affects our family of students, faculty and staff. I am sorry this is the case. I truly want all members of our university community to feel included, valued and safe."

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