Dean Smith: On the Passing of a Death Penalty Abolitionist

Dave Zirin, sports editor at The Nation, is a supporter of Rodney and has signed on to our clemency campaign. His newest piece, a memorial to Tar Heels basketball coach Dean Smith and his legacy as a death penalty abolitionist, is a reminder of the intersection between sports and social justice:

“Dean Smith was clear in his opposition to the death penalty. He knew death did not solve death and that the sentencing was racially biased. He knew that like a fixed game the results were unfair. Right now in North Carolina, we have had over seven individuals, mostly black, in recent years exonerated from death row declared wrongfully charged and convicted who would have been executed. This is more than any other state in the country. Based on this reality we can surmise that through the death penalty and the faults of racial and class bias we have probably killed innocent black and poor white persons in our state. We should have and still need to listen to Coach Smith’s vocal opposition and abandon the death penalty.”

RIP Coach Smith. We’ll keep fighting.