In the days and weeks following the death of George Floyd, as America and Bloomington found itself in the midst of demonstrations and outcries for justice reform, Indiana University head football coach Tom Allen got in his car and went for a drive. The destination was simple – he needed to find his wide receiver Whop Philyor.
The moment – between a 50-year-old white football coach and his 22-year-old African American player – summed up what Allen’s Love Every One (LEO) movement is all about.
“I got in my car and went to find him. I grabbed him, came to my office and just had a heart to heart. LEO comes from the Scripture, and I believe in it. I believe it is a foundation for your life. I want our guys to build their families off this foundation, truly love the people you’re around, invest in people you’re around and care about the people you’re around. They know when you do and when you don’t. They know when it’s real and when it’s not. I think it’s helped us during this time, it’s helped us have tough conversations. We won’t always agree, but when you love each other, you realize you don’t always have to agree,” Allen told TheHoosier.com recently about that day.
As it turns out, talking was exactly what the head coach and wide receiver needed at that time.
“I get emotional thinking about it. When you break it all down, it’s life. He was in here and talking from the heart. He was hurt, he was confused, he was scared, he was angry, he didn’t know what to do, but we were able to just sit there and talk,” Allen said. “We cried together and just shared. I wanted him to talk to me about what he was feeling and to be able to help him through all that. What can we do to make a difference here and there’s a lot of complicated things here. It’s not just an easy conversation and we aren’t going to solve all these problems in an hour or two hour meeting in my office. But at the same time, he needed to know I cared enough to listen. And, I did want to know why he felt the way he felt and talk about life experiences and his own encounters with the police and why he feels way he does. It didn’t matter what it was, anytime you can put your guard down and share from the heart, anytime those things happen, you feel closer than ever, more love than ever.”
And, Philyor admits the relationship between his coach and himself is closer as a result of that day.
“I was really happy that Coach Allen got on board,” Philyor added. “I was really happy because he let me come into his office and explain to him. I was crying with this man. If I cry in front of a person, that means that I love them, I trust them. So, I trust this man with my life. It is big that Coach Allen and the staff are behind us on that. I am so happy that I am part of Indiana, the LEO.”
For Allen, the words from his senior validates everything that he has preached and the lessons he has given his players surrounding the building block of Indiana’s football foundation – LEO.
Over the last six months, that foundation has been tested, but it hasn’t crumbled, and a lot of that has to do with Allen and his mantra of caring for and loving those closest.
“Obviously, we’ve been through some of the most difficult things that our program, our country has ever gone through. I’ve never been in a time where I felt like our country is more divided than it has been these last few months, and I’ve never been in a pandemic. These are two serious things we have been thrust into, and we’ve fallen back onto our foundation of LEO,” he said.
In addition, he has made sure his players understand that empathy is a big thing.
“Empathy is a key word during this time with the pandemic and all the social injustice and racial challenges during this time,” Allen added. “People who have had personal families members who have gotten sick, or close friends who have passed away from this virus, they have a whole different attitude. People who haven’t been impacted much they may feel like it’s not that big of a deal. It is a big deal, I lost a close friend through all this. It’s real and it’s serious and we take it serious. I think we bring those experiences with us, even racially.
“I sat there and talked with our players, some of them 1-on-1, all different ways we’ve done it. I don’t know what it feels like to be a black male raised in this country, but at the same time I can have empathy for them. If I truly care about them, and I’m trying to learn from them, tell me about your life, what was it like and we’ve had those conversations and it’s been really good. It’s like anything else, it doesn’t make it any easier, but it makes you realize you’re in an environment that makes it safe to speak the truth, speak from the heart and we are going to care about you and love you and do everything we can to make sure you feel like you have a supportive environment.”
The LEO movement also extends to the recruiting trail, as several prospects have talked about the family-type atmosphere in their recruiting and how Allen treats his players. The head coach, who was introduced in December of 2016, understands coaching is a ‘what have you done lately’ profession and he is judged on wins and losses, but he admits there is more to it than results on the field.
“Yeah we have to get players, but how hard do they play for each other and sacrifice? That’s LEO. How hard do they play for their coaches? That’s LEO. It is a powerful thing, and I think love is the greatest motivator of all,” Allen said. “We all want to be loved, be cared for and be held accountable. If they know we love them, care for them and will do whatever we can to help them be great, it changes everything. Players are recognizing it, the outside world is recognizing it, and it’s a pretty special thing.”
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