Pitt's Troost has mixed feelings about response to his kneeling during anthem in 2017

During the 2017 season, Ian Troost knelt among his upright Pitt football teammates during the playing of the national anthem at Heinz Field. Peacefully, he was protesting police brutality and racial injustice, trying to create awareness and dialogue that might lead to change.

“I wanted to be a white ally,” Troost said Monday from his hometown of Portsmouth, N.H.

The issue of police brutality again has erupted across the U.S. after the recent killings of three black people, two at the hands of police.

“It’s so sad that it has taken the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery to even have these conversations,” he said when contacted by the Tribune-Review.

Of the recent demonstrations in Pittsburgh, Troost said, “I would have been there, 100%, if I had been in Pittsburgh.”

A transfer from Westminster (Utah) College where he played soccer, Troost became Roc, the Pitt football team’s mascot, when he first arrived on campus. He was in that role when the Panthers upset Clemson in Death Valley in 2016.

Troost, a walkon kicker, said he left the Pitt football team after the 2017 season to concentrate on graduating, not because he knelt for the anthem.

Troost became a manager for women’s soccer and graduated in December 2018 with a degree in marketing and a minor in Japanese culture. He is now general manager of Portsmouth Paddle, a company dealing in paddleboard tours, lessons, rental and sales.

He’s also the coach of the Portsmouth High School junior varsity girls soccer team. He said he wears his Pitt gear proudly to every practice.

“I always bragged about being the mascot,” he said. “The girls would just roll their eyes.”

But Troost, 24, is a serious thinker, too, who is a bit conflicted these days, stemming from the aftermath of his kneel-down Oct. 14, 2017, before the N.C. State game. (He also knelt during the anthem before the Rice game Sept. 30, but few people noticed.)

“I have a complicated ceiling of wanting to cheer for Pitt (and) being really upset and frustrated with how (director of athletics) Heather Lyke and (deputy direct of athletics) Christian Spears handled the whole situation.”

When I tried to share this same message (through a peaceful protest), I was told by some Athletic Adminstrators that I wasn’t a team player, I was selfish, I was a distraction, and that I was costing the University money from donors and season ticket holders, what am I missing? https://t.co/WyzFTn3wxL

— Ian Troost (@iantroost) June 1, 2020

He said he was told that his protest could have cost the university donor and season-ticket revenue.

“Of course, it has to be about money. It has to be about revenue,” he said. “We need to be able to do these big things and fund the teams. But, at the same time, at what cost?”

The past week has been intensely sad. I wanted to take this opportunity to connect with @Pitt_ATHLETICS & Panther nation. I have tremendous empathy for all our African American student-athletes, coaches & staff. We support, love, respect & care for each and everyone of you #H2P

— Heather Lyke (@Pitt_LykeAD) June 2, 2020

Meanwhile, his meetings with coach Pat Narduzzi after the fact were mostly positive and led him to cancel similar protests at the final three home games.

“He looked me in the eye. He listened to why I was doing it,” Troost said. “He absolutely supported me in that sense as a coach.

“I do remember him coming out (in a news conference) and saying I had the right to do that as a player and supported me in that sense.

“Ultimately, I did end up standing (the rest of the season) because coach Narduzzi did take the time to listen. He wasn’t saying I shouldn’t (kneel). I can’t speak for him, whether he agreed with the protest or not, but he supported me. I can remember him telling me he thought it was well-thought out, that he respected that I wasn’t being vocal about it, something that I cared about.

“He was curious if I wanted to, possibly, stand and link arms, or do some other form of solidarity with some of my other teammates.”

Troost declined the offer.

Troost said he received support from many teammates — Jaryd Jones-Smith and Tre Tipton stood behind him with their hands on his shoulders — and even from what he calls his “conservative” family. (Both of his grandfathers served in the military.)

He said the protest had nothing to do with the military. He said he received support from a childhood friend who graduated from West Point and a professor in Arizona who said Troost’s kneel-down was a topic of conversation in class.

“That always meant a lot,” he said. “It was nice to see a more positive reaction. The negative reaction was always much louder on social media.”

Powerful Message from our players. Very proud of this team! We’re all in this together. #BlackLivesMatter #Unity pic.twitter.com/Xx4TuoG1wu

— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) June 5, 2020

Troost stays in contact with many Pitt teammates, and he heard good reviews after a Zoom meeting last week among the football team, Narduzzi, other staff members and administrators. Previously, Narduzzi had been criticized by former players for his use of the word “thug” when talking about an opponent.

“I can tell you my teammates really came away from that meeting feeling optimistic and really positive about the experience,” Troost said. “What I gathered is that they felt (Narduzzi) was very empathetic to the situation, really trying to listen to them and they certainly felt heard.

Truly humbled by the respect our players and coaches have for each other and the open-mindedness they approached today’s discussion with. Our country has a bright future as these new leaders emerge every day. #BlackLivesMatter #Unity

— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) June 4, 2020

“As a white player and white person, I don’t know what it’s like to hear that term. I can absolutely in hindsight see how that would not be super-welcoming term to hear as a black player on the team.

“Coach Narduzzi actually saying, ‘Black lives matter’ and the power and weight that that carries, I think that’s so powerful that he’s willing to see that.”

In the end, Troost was not content to be a footnote in Pitt football history.

He joined Pitt track athlete Jordan Fields to compose a letter that was sent Monday to Pitt’s top administrators.

Responding to the letter, Executive Associate Athletic Director E.J. Borghetti issued the following statement: “This letter reflects the true spirit of Pitt. Throughout our history, Pitt people have always worked to create a better world, a better society, a stronger tomorrow.

“This is important engagement and can serve as a catalyst for the change we need and are striving for. We are looking forward to more communication and working together on these crucial issues with our student-athletes, coaches, staff and university community.”

Fields, who graduated in April with a degree in political science and minors in sociology and Africana studies, said she previously has written letters that drew quick responses from administrators, including the office of chancellor Patrick Gallagher.

After hearing a racially insensitive remark from a student, she met with provost Ann Cudd and dean of students Kenyon Bonner and helped rewrite the student code of conduct.

Back on the field, Troost said, “I do expect to see more kneeling (during the anthem in the upcoming season).” He doesn’t know if it will happen at Pitt.

“(Pitt players) haven’t given me any indication. They’ve talked about other teams doing it and NFL continuing to do it, but I haven’t been given any indication either way.”

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