Mastodons coach willing to speak out on race

When George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, Purdue Fort Wayne men's volleyball coach Ryan “Rock” Perrotte was home in Windsor, Ontario, caring for his mother. A Black man, he immediately understood the ramifications of Floyd's death and what it would mean for his adopted country.

“I knew the 'racial reckoning' that the U.S. was going through would be front-page material for several months, but then it would fade,” Perrotte said.

But Perrotte still thought about how to make a statement, a symbolic gesture through his team that could represent something meaningful in the process and hopefully spark discussion. On the initial serve of the season's first home match, he had his team take an eight-second violation, which would cost them a point and include a moment of silence. Then the public address announcer would inform the crowd of what happened and why.

Read the story in The Journal Gazette. (subscription required)