Trump? Biden? Miami’s Manny Diaz won’t talk candidates, but wants Hurricanes to vote

Manny Diaz serves as the commander in chief, so to speak, of the University of Miami football program. But this week, the Hurricanes’ boss — and former longtime Miami mayor’s son — is ensuring that all his players have a chance to vote for the ultimate guy in charge.

Last month, the NCAA approved civic engagement legislation that bans any practice or competition on the first Tuesday after Nov. 1 every year, including next Tuesday’s presidential election.

Diaz said Monday that through UM’s social justice council, headed by running backs coach Eric Hickson, he and his coaches have accomplished getting every football player — there are more than a hundred — registered to vote in what for most will be their first presidential election.

But that’s not all.

Diaz said the program will “push to get a bunch of our guys to an early voting location and have them vote actually this week during the bye week” as 12th-ranked UM (5-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference prepares for a Friday-night Nov. 6 game at North Carolina State (4-2, 4-2).

Some of the Hurricanes already have voted by mail.

“You got a team full of everybody just about, [so] I’d imagine, this will be the first election they’ve ever voted in,’’ Diaz said . “This is a great chance to express one of the great things of what it means to be an American and have their voice heard, whatever side that they’re in, and just be a part of the democratic process.”

Diaz: ‘Good rule’

Diaz called the new NCAA legislation that clears the NCAA practice/competition calendar every election day “a good rule” because it makes it easier and less stressful for players who may not have had a chance to vote. “There’s no telling what the lines will be like on election day,’’ Diaz said. “It gives them an opportunity to get out there and do it.”

NCAA Division I Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, the Penn athletic director, said in an NCAA release that the new rule “represents the voice of student-athletes across the country who continue to express a desire to increase their civic engagement at local, state and federal levels.”

“We look forward to seeing student-athletes use this opportunity as a way to create positive change,’’ Calhoun said.

Diaz said the Hurricanes were fortunate in this situation because they have a bye week going into NC State.

“In terms of our prep, we’re probably, like NC State, both a little better off because it’s a short week but we are coming off sort of a one-day short bye. So, we can just move our Tuesday and Wednesday practices to Sunday and Monday, take Tuesday off and then we’ll have Wednesday and Thursday for prep before we fly to Raleigh.”

Diaz said he imagined most of his staff would have voted early by next week, and that coaches are still allowed to have meetings and planning Tuesday to prepare for the game.

Civics meeting this week

When asked if he and his players talk about the candidates and their different points of view, Diaz said coaches don’t get into specific candidates because “that’s not really our place to tell anybody who to vote for, but what we are doing is we are having a meeting this week and we are trying to really explain to our players the ins and outs of local governments.

“I think everybody understands what it means to elect a president,’’ Diaz said. “But I don’t know that our players have the understanding of who is in charge really of what’s on the local ballot. Because obviously a lot of what occurs in our community is really dictated by the local governments — county or city. We don’t spend enough time on that.

“Who’s in charge of this? Who’s accountable if I don’t like this about something in our community? A lot of our guys don’t know.

“That is something we’re going to have a meeting on later this week and kind of a crash course in civics. So, when you’re looking at these names on the ballot, everyone has spent a lot of time and resources on the presidential election, which is a super big deal, but there are a lot of other ones we’re voting on next week that can equally impact how we operate in our community.

“I want players to have an understanding at least of not this person or that person or this issue or that issue, but kind of how does government work in general.”

Social media bombardment

Diaz, 46, noted that because of social media, players are much more aware of political issues than when he was growing up.

“Obviously, 2020 has been a year unlike any other,’’ Diaz said, “not just with the coronavirus but with everything else that’s been going on. I don’t think this is just our student-athletes. I think this is sort of everybody in society. Social media has become militarized and politicized on both sides and our players live in the social media realm. So it’s hard to be in that environment and not be exposed to political viewpoints. And generally speaking, whoever you follow or whatever you like you’re going to see more and more of your political viewpoints, to whichever side that you agree with.

“There is some good in that and certainly some inherent bad in that. But it is hard to ignore. So I do think... if you’re of the age that this is your first election, you have probably been bombarded with more political information through social media than we ever would have been.

“We had to be sitting in front of the TV when I was a kid just to see the political ads. Now it’s relentless. They have no choice but to not be in that arena.”