Racist vandalism prompts QB star Allen and his family to unsubscribe and quit football powerhouse

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ALLEN An Allen family pulled their children out of Allen High School this week after their home was vandalized with a racial epithet spray-painted on their garage door which they say targeted their son, the teams’ starting quarterback and a highly touted football rookie.

Mike Hawkins Sr., a former NFL player, said he unenrolled his two sons on Wednesday. There had been speculation in Allen that Mike Hawkins Jr., one of the nation’s top high school football recruits for the Class of 2024, was transferring from the state’s largest school and a five-time state champion. after the home was listed for sale in early December, Hawkins Sr. said.

The family, who have lived in Allen since 2011 and are biracial, planned to move to another home in town, Hawkins Sr. said. But after the incident, the family decided to move out of the northern Texas suburbs. Maliek Hawkins, a sophomore, started as a defensive back for Allen last season and is also leaving school. The next steps for their high school education are unclear.

The first thing that comes to mind is getting your kids to safety, Hawkins Sr. said Thursday night. You don’t think about football, you don’t think about college decisions. We haven’t worked that hard to get to this point, where you have to be scared walking out of your house.

Imagine having children, and each time they leave the house, it only amplifies your anxiety.

Racist vandalism, police report

Hawkins Sr. said he was woken around 2:15 a.m. Dec. 28 by his dogs barking outside. He let them into the house, and when he let them out later that morning, he saw the vandalism on his garage door.

The racist wording WE DON’T NEED YOU HERE IN ALLEN (N-word) was written in foot-tall black letters on the left side of the house’s white garage door. Police responded and filed an incident report at 7.57am that morning, according to a copy shown to The News, listing the offense as destruction/damage/vandalism of property.

Photos of the racist messages were also shared with The News.

A spokesperson for the Allen Police Department declined to provide further information, citing the ongoing investigation.

I could have been hurt, said Hawkins Sr. What if the person who wrote this was still there?

Hawkins Sr., who is black, said he had never personally experienced targeted racism in the decade he lived in Allen, although he said his son had received racist messages on social media during his time as the teams starting quarterback, which he reported to The Allens Coaching Staff.

Allen’s freshman coach Lee Wiginton called the racist vandalism sickening and confirmed the departure of Mike Jr. and Malieks.

I know I can’t control the evil in this world. I can’t protect them from it, said Wiginton, who met with the Hawkins family on Tuesday. My message, which is the message at all times, is to come and be a fan. Come and understand that you are going to be upset when the games don’t go your way, but understand that they are children. These are children who give so much of their lives to represent this community.

Wiginton, who was hired last May to replace Chad Morris, said he was unaware of any other racist incidents at the school.

Mike Hawkins Jr. and Maliek were unavailable for comment Thursday night.

I get nervous about going out, said Anabelle Hawkins, Mike Sr.’s wife and mother of the kids. Especially at night, when it gets dark, I don’t feel like it.

Racist incidents surrounding high school football teams across the country, including hate-speech-filled group chats and social media posts, have sparked conversations this year about race and programs aimed at influencing the change, although none were reported in Allen or North Texas.

Allens’ population is 61% white and 9% black, according to a 2021 census report. Its school district is 50.9% white and 13.3% black.

Prestigious program Mike Hawkins Jr. was Allen’s starting quarterback in 2021 and 2022. (Elas Valverde II/Staff Photographer)

Hawkins Sr. is a Dallas native and an NFL veteran, including a stint with the Cowboys. He graduated from Carrollton RL Turner and attended Oklahoma for the 2002 season, but left college to play for the Arena Football Leagues Dallas Desperados.

Allen, among the nation’s most prestigious high school football programs, won five state championships between 2008 and 2017 and plays its home games at Eagle Stadium, a $60 million facility that opened in 2012. .

The school expects a lot from its football program, and positional battles are often the focus of statewide attention. A 2018 report from The News showed that 74 football players, including 30 from out of state, transferred to Allen from 2013 to 2018. College Interscholastic League rules prohibit students from transferring to sporting purposes.

Allen’s former manager Tom Westerberg, who left school in 2016 to become sporting director and football coach at Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill, told The News last year there were downsides to the enormity of the school.

There are good kids leaving the program who can’t play, he said in May 2022. When you get to the top, some people forget how you got there, and then the wait becomes, if you don’t don’t go back, then you didn’t have a good year, when you could have had a good year and not come back to the state championship game.

Hawkins, a four-star rookie, is the No. 15 quarterback in the nation and No. 1 in the Dallas area, according to 247Sports.com. He was Allens’ highest-rated quarterback rookie since eventual Heisman Trophy winner and first-round NFL draft pick Kyler Murray. He holds scholarship offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, and others. He is due to announce his engagement on January 31.

A two-year starter at Allen, Hawkins passed for 2,007 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior and 2,807 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore, and totaled 1,130 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.

The quarterback has played youth football at Allen since his family moved there, and Hawkins Sr. said he has long helped Allen High’s football teams under Westerberg, Terry Gambill and Morris.

I never thought this would happen to Mike, or my family here, said Hawkins Sr. I’ve heard of things happening in Allen, but we’ve never been a part of it.

Writers Sarah Bahari and Lana Ferguson contributed to this report.

On Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn

Michael Hawkins Sr. and his wife Annabelle at their home Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Allen. In December, the family had racist words written on their garage door. (Rebecca Slezak / Staff Photographer)

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