Hoop dreams and fields of promises; how Black college athletes get cheated

Emil Ekiyor Jr. started playing football when he was 7. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Emil Ekiyor Sr., a former NFL defensive lineman, and cultivated his own impressive career.The younger Ekiyor was a four-star high school recruit from Indianapolis and became an offensive lineman at the University of Alabama, which ranks fifth in the Top 25 NCAA football teams, according to the Associated Press. By his senior year, Ekiyor earned a spot on the 2022 All-SEC Coaches’ Football First Team while pursuing a major in public relations and a minor in business management.Ekiyor graduated from Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in August 2022 and continued to play for the school as a redshirt senior — someone who has extended their eligibility — in the fall 2022 semester. By May 2023, Ekiyor joined the NFL’s Indiana Colts as an undrafted free agent. Unfortunately, in August 2023, less than a month before the official start of the NFL season, Ekiyor tore his meniscus and the Colts released him — a heartbreaking turn. The young Black man was left treading virtual water, figuring out what to do with his life.Emil Ekiyor’s football career took a turn after an injury. He...