UIL committee says former Allen students, including star QB, are eligible to play in Frisco after transfer due to racist vandalism

FRISCO, Texas — A UIL committee voted to make two former Allen ISD brothers and football players eligible to participate in athletics after transferring to Frisco Emerson.

The District 3-4A Executive Committee voted 5-1 to approve the eligibility after roughly an hour of hearing from the family of Mike and Maliek Hawkins.

"You wouldn’t believe the messages he received," Mike Hawkins Sr. said of the situation surrounding his son, Mike Hawkins Jr. "You wouldn’t believe the way the community treated my son."

Hawkins Sr. is a former Oklahoma University and Dallas Cowboys player. Mike Hawkins Jr. is a four-star college prospect, according to recruiting service 247 Sports. He has scholarship offers from Oklahoma, TCU and Alabama, among others.

The move follows the family finding their garage painted with the words “We don’t need you in Allen [N-word]” in late December.

"Do you guys understand what this has done, uprooting my family?" Hawkins Sr. said. "It seems like a bad dream when I wake up. I’m having to relocate my family. No way in the world would I thought I would wake up and see the words, 'We don’t need you in Allen [N-word]' on my garage.'"

The hearing was sparked by Allen marking on a UIL previous athletic participation form that there was a conflict or dissatisfaction between the family and program. Allen head coach Lee Wiginton said in the hearing that the district marked that box due to a comment Hawkins Sr. made after the team's final game this year.

"Clearly, it would be considered dissatisfaction with the program and that comment that he made," Wiginton said. "He simply said, 'How can you let this happen? How can this be? How do you expect people not to move out.' The move is not a reaction to the dissatisfaction. The move was a reaction to the things that you heard Mr. Hawkins talk about."

"I would never think that me and my family would have to go through something this crazy and, like, the racial and hateful comments," Hawkins Jr. said during brief comments to the committee.

"It’s no way that we should have to deal with this," his father said through tears. "There’s no way and then for them to push a narrative of there was a conflict. There’s no conflict. It’s simply I’ve got to protect my family, the same thing I told them in that meeting. What would you do with your kids? What would you do with your family?"

The family was questioned by the committee on its timeline for moving. They told the committee they listed their home for sale on Dec. 16 before the vandalism occurred on Dec. 28, because they had planned on building a new larger home in Allen. They later met with district leaders on Jan. 3 about the hate speech, and then enrolled at Frisco Emerson on Jan. 11.

The lone vote against eligibility came from Argyle athletic director Todd Rodgers, who asked if Hawkins felt a six-mile move would be enough to escape harm or threats.

The Hawkins family repeatedly criticized Allen Athletic Director Kim Garner for lacking empathy and support for the abuse they faced.

"We’ve gone through so much, and the lack of sympathy from the previous school is very disheartening," Annabelle Hawkins, Mike and Maliek’s mother, said.

After the proceedings, Hawkins Sr. said he hopes his sons' new school provides protection and peace.

"I think this will be a great time for them to just learn from it and grow," he said. "It’s one of those situations where we want it just to be done. We wanted out sons to be able to do just what kids do."