College football recruit slammed for wearing controversial t-shirt

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

A top college football recruit for the class of 2018, Tyreke Smith has caught flak for his choice in shirts.

During camp at Ohio State University, Smith wore a shirt that read, “I hope I don’t get killed for being black today.”

He said, “I knew there was going to be backlash for me, the shirt’s pretty harsh.”

Images of him in the shirt quickly went viral and got plenty of responses on social media sites. Some supported the message while others called it racist.

Smith isn’t just any football player. The 17-year-old defensive end from Cleveland Heights is nationally ranked and was being recruited by dozens of the top universities in the country.

He got the shirt from his brother Malik Smith who designed it after several friends died.

“A lot of friends close to me were killed,” stated Malik. “I got to thinking, ‘Am I next?’ So, I decided to put it on a t-shirt.”

— Ray Rice is now the assistant football coach at his old high school — 

The brothers say the shirt is meant to draw attention to all types of violence perpetrated in the black community and on it.

“Some people think it’s just about the police, but it says nothing about the police,” said Malik. “It’s some police brutality and some black on black issues we’re having … murder rates are sky rocking … every time I leave my house, I think, ‘Am I gonna be the next one to lose my life?’”

The family turned the shirts into a business called My Brothers Keeper. Proceeds from sales of the shirts will start a scholarship fund for Cleveland Heights students who make a difference in their community.

They are hopeful that the t-shirt will continue to be a conversation starter that will lead to a better understanding and unity among everyone.

“I wanted to get the message across and I knew with the platform I had, I could,” Tyreke said.

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