Mississippi flag 'not much of an issue' for out-of-state recruits

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - Cheryl Waldrop, the mother of an Alabama high school football star, agrees with Mississippi coach David Cutcliffe. <br> <br> The Confederate battle emblem in the Magnolia State&#39;s flag could dissuade athletes from picking Ole Miss or one of the state&#39;s other universities. <br> <br> ``You find a lot of kids that have a problem with it,&#39;&#39; said Waldrop, who is black. <br> <br> That may be the case, but the flag controversy wouldn&#39;t keep Waldrop from sending her son, DeMarcus, to the university in Oxford. <br> <br> ``He&#39;s been going to a predominantly white school since he was a child,&#39;&#39; she said. ``He don&#39;t have a problem with it. He&#39;s been around that type of culture for a while.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> While some say the flag is a stumbling block to recruiting, DeMarcus Waldrop isn&#39;t the only high school athlete, black or white, for whom the banner is a non-factor. <br> <br> It was a year ago Wednesday that Mississippians voted decisively to keep the state&#39;s 1894 flag that includes the Confederate battle emblem many see as racially divisive. <br> <br> Cutcliffe and some other prominent college coaches from Mississippi publicly supported a campaign to retire the old flag and replace it with a design that included a field of stars. <br> <br> They said the Confederate symbol could lead some people to have a negative image of Mississippi. <br> <br> The issue was magnified at Ole Miss, a school that has made a concerted effort in recent years to distance itself from a stormy racial past. <br> <br> The most obvious move was prohibiting fans from bringing flags into football games, breaking a long tradition of waving Confederate flags. <br> <br> Little has been heard from opponents of the old flag since its defeat, including Cutcliffe. <br> <br> ``The reason I haven&#39;t said anything beyond that is, when you&#39;re in a democracy and the majority rules, you don&#39;t whine afterward,&#39;&#39; said Cutcliffe. ``You just move forward and do the best that you can.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Cutcliffe said he has heard comments from some out-of-state recruits and their parents about the flag controversy. He declined to give details of those conversations. <br> <br> And what does DeMarcus Waldrop think about Mississippi&#39;s flag controversy: ``I ain&#39;t never heard of it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Waldrop, 16, will be a senior linebacker next fall at Pinson Valley High School in Alabama. He is one of the top players in that state. He said Ole Miss and Mississippi State are among the schools he is considering. <br> <br> LeRon McClain, 17, a fullback at Tuscaloosa County High School in Alabama, was also unaware of the flag issue. <br> <br> ``As long as I get to go to school and play football It doesn&#39;t matter what kind of flag they have,&#39;&#39; said McClain, who also is black. <br> <br> McClain&#39;s stepfather, James Robinson, said he&#39;ll help LeRon make an informed decision when it comes to time to pick a school. Robinson knows Mississippi&#39;s history and its flag, but he said he wouldn&#39;t advise LeRon against playing for one of its schools. <br> <br> ``I want him to be satisfied,&#39;&#39; Robinson said. <br> <br> Taron Henry, a wide receiver from Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., echoed Cheryl Waldrop&#39;s sentiments. He said he could understand why the flag could turn off some young men, but for him it wasn&#39;t an issue. <br> <br> ``No, not really,&#39;&#39; the black athlete said. <br> <br> Jeff Butler, 17, an offensive lineman from Fayetteville High School in Arkansas, also said he understood the concerns. <br> <br> ``I can see why that would stir up some bad emotions, but I don&#39;t think of it as the school is trying to make that statement,&#39;&#39; said Butler, who is white. <br> <br> Jake Tompkins, a quarterback from Russellville High School in Alabama, who is ``really interested in Ole Miss,&#39;&#39; said he has a Rebel flag hanging in his room. <br> <br> Tompkins, who is white, also doesn&#39;t think the emblem is a problem for his teammates. <br> <br> He recalled what one black teammate said upon seeing the flag hanging in Tompkins&#39; room. <br> <br> ``He looks at the flag and says, &#39;I don&#39;t see what the big deal is about this,&#39;&#39;&#39; Tompkins said. <br> <br> William Roach, 17, a wide receiver from Brooks High School in Killen, Ala., said the Confederate symbol is just part of the South. <br> <br> ``I don&#39;t pay attention to it really,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Chris Russell, 17, a wide receiver from Hillsboro High School in Nashville, Tenn., had a similar reaction to the other black athletes. <br> <br> ``I haven&#39;t thought about it much. It probably wouldn&#39;t play in my decision,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Dominic Lee, a defensive tackle from Huffman High School in Alabama, said he was aware of the debate over Mississippi&#39;s flag. The black athlete said he would have voted to change the flag, but if Cutcliffe or Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill come calling, he&#39;ll listen. <br> <br> ``I would probably be a little worried about the racism thing, but it would not make me not go to a school,&#39;&#39; he said.