Minnesota team ends boycott threat, will go to Holiday Bowl

The University of Minnesota football team’s boycott started with a bold demand for apologies and a threat to skip a bowl game if 10 teammates suspended after a sexual assault investigation weren’t reinstated.

The Golden Gophers players announced Saturday morning that they plan to play in the Holiday Bowl, rescinding their boycott after two exhausting days of meetings with attorneys, school President Eric Kaler and athletic director Mark Coyle.

Four players were initially suspended for three games earlier this season while the police investigated allegations by a woman who said several players pressured her into having sex with them after a season-opening win over Oregon State.

“There is only one acceptable way to treat all women and that is with the utmost respect at all times,” Wolitarsky said, adding that the boycott stemmed from concerns over lack of communication from school and athletic officials and concerns about due process.