Mitchell posted an image with the words “free•ish since 1865,” along with the caption, “HAPPY JUNETEENTH.” His post is reference to the fact that even after the Emancipation Proclamation purportedly freed slaves, Black people have since been subject to “convict leasing,” Jim Crow laws, and disproportionate and systematic mass incarceration which subsequently limits access to government assistance, jobs, and voting rights. The Netflix documentary “13th” cited Bureau of Justice statistics that as of 2016, about 1 in 17 white men would be imprisoned in their lifetime, compared to 1 in 3 Black men, as well as how Black men account for 6.5% of the United States’ population, but make up 40.2% of those incarcerated in the U.S.

For what it’s worth, Mitchell’s IG post also attracted plenty of supporters — of him generally and his post specifically, as many encouraged him to keep speaking out and using his platform to effect change.

However, though there is no way to tie specific posters to their location, so as to determine if those commenting are actually Jazz fans or simply followers of Mitchell’s social media accounts, plenty of commenters worried that the negativity and obliviousness directed Mitchell’s way would be assumed to come from Utahns, and might prompt him to want to leave the team.

Among the more than 2,000 replies to Mitchell’s were those who slammed him for being “delusional” for suggesting not everyone in the United States is treated equally; there were also those angry at him for being “ungrateful,” as the wealth and celebrity he has earned from playing basketball professionally should, in their estimation, give him even more freedom. Many simply responded that they intend to “unfollow” his social media accounts now as a result.

Among the responses on his post:

• 2jcoles7: You are free. There is not ish

• mintkatkit: Free-ish says the [expletive] millionaire who will never have to worry about getting by for the rest of his life, or his children’s lives. Lmao privileged rich mfer

• cosskameron: You got the same rights and privileges as me now chill out

• sims_904: You’re rich as [expletive] more than 95% of people in America shut your [expletive] trap

• james_falls_byu: We had an African American president, Spida… 8 years and he won both elections soundly

• trailcanyonstone: You might be the most free person I know, everybody in the state loves you, looks up to you, and wants to talk to you. quit being a victim it’s ridiculous. Have a conversation with Candace Owens Who I would vote for for president someday. She’s figured it out.

• warren__g4: Your [sic] free man 100% you have as much freedom as any white person in America

• heber_murph: You’re more free than 99% of us.

• brenten_garrett_ut: What do you mean freeish You literally make millions playing basketball I just lost all respect for you SPIDA

• ev_cole: What can’t black people do that white people can I’m confused

• dusty1089: Such bull, favorite player but this is delusion

• drew.crossen: You can’t say you’re not free when you are literally making millions every year to do something you [love]

• i_am_noscut: You’re part of the 1%. Don’t kid yourself…lol

• eltornillo1232: Imagine making millions for playing ball and posting this “ish”

• matt.halversen: You deserve all the bad things coming your way

• pressed_penny_collector_79: I love watching you play and I am such a big fan, but you make more money in a single game than my parents make in a single year. I don’t think it is right to compare yourself to [slaves] and not being free, because you are free and African Americans are doing great in the country.”

Though Mitchell did not reply to any of the individual Instagram commenters, he noted in a couple of subsequent posts on Twitter that such replies had certainly gotten his attention.

Back on May 29, just four days after Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis when a white officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, and after protests broke out throughout the country, prompting many white people to universally condemn the protesters as “looters” and “thugs” when some violence broke out, Mitchell tweeted, “Seeing a lot of people’s true colors….” He quote-tweeted that message Friday with the addendum, “Said it once and I’ll keep saying it!! Y’all can’t hide no more.”

A short time later, he tweeted again, expressing bewilderment at how fans can so openly support Black basketball players on the court, only to be so obtuse about the challenges they face off it.

“Can’t see how yall can openly cheer for us then when it comes to this be against us so openly!!” Mitchell wrote.

Still, the vast majority of commenters were either supportive of Mitchell and his message, or took aim at the negative posters, pointing out that their words only seemed to reinforce the issues that Westbrook and other NBA players have with Utah fans yet again.

Wrote user jed_banta: “Lots of disappointing comments on this post. We Jazz fans have a [long way] to go before the reputation of our fanbase is changed and I’m ashamed.”

Mitchell posted an image with the words “free•ish since 1865,” along with the caption, “HAPPY JUNETEENTH.” His post is reference to the fact that even after the Emancipation Proclamation purportedly freed slaves, Black people have since been subject to “convict leasing,” Jim Crow laws, and disproportionate and systematic mass incarceration which subsequently limits access to government assistance, jobs, and voting rights. The Netflix documentary “13th” cited Bureau of Justice statistics that as of 2016, about 1 in 17 white men would be imprisoned in their lifetime, compared to 1 in 3 Black men, as well as how Black men account for 6.5% of the United States’ population, but make up 40.2% of those incarcerated in the U.S.

For what it’s worth, Mitchell’s IG post also attracted plenty of supporters — of him generally and his post specifically, as many encouraged him to keep speaking out and using his platform to effect change.

However, though there is no way to tie specific posters to their location, so as to determine if those commenting are actually Jazz fans or simply followers of Mitchell’s social media accounts, plenty of commenters worried that the negativity and obliviousness directed Mitchell’s way would be assumed to come from Utahns, and might prompt him to want to leave the team.

Among the more than 2,000 replies to Mitchell’s were those who slammed him for being “delusional” for suggesting not everyone in the United States is treated equally; there were also those angry at him for being “ungrateful,” as the wealth and celebrity he has earned from playing basketball professionally should, in their estimation, give him even more freedom. Many simply responded that they intend to “unfollow” his social media accounts now as a result.

Among the responses on his post:

• 2jcoles7: You are free. There is not ish

• mintkatkit: Free-ish says the [expletive] millionaire who will never have to worry about getting by for the rest of his life, or his children’s lives. Lmao privileged rich mfer

• cosskameron: You got the same rights and privileges as me now chill out

• sims_904: You’re rich as [expletive] more than 95% of people in America shut your [expletive] trap

• james_falls_byu: We had an African American president, Spida… 8 years and he won both elections soundly

• trailcanyonstone: You might be the most free person I know, everybody in the state loves you, looks up to you, and wants to talk to you. quit being a victim it’s ridiculous. Have a conversation with Candace Owens Who I would vote for for president someday. She’s figured it out.

• warren__g4: Your [sic] free man 100% you have as much freedom as any white person in America

• heber_murph: You’re more free than 99% of us.

• brenten_garrett_ut: What do you mean freeish You literally make millions playing basketball I just lost all respect for you SPIDA

• ev_cole: What can’t black people do that white people can I’m confused

• dusty1089: Such bull, favorite player but this is delusion

• drew.crossen: You can’t say you’re not free when you are literally making millions every year to do something you [love]

• i_am_noscut: You’re part of the 1%. Don’t kid yourself…lol

• eltornillo1232: Imagine making millions for playing ball and posting this “ish”

• matt.halversen: You deserve all the bad things coming your way

• pressed_penny_collector_79: I love watching you play and I am such a big fan, but you make more money in a single game than my parents make in a single year. I don’t think it is right to compare yourself to [slaves] and not being free, because you are free and African Americans are doing great in the country.”

Though Mitchell did not reply to any of the individual Instagram commenters, he noted in a couple of subsequent posts on Twitter that such replies had certainly gotten his attention.

Back on May 29, just four days after Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis when a white officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, and after protests broke out throughout the country, prompting many white people to universally condemn the protesters as “looters” and “thugs” when some violence broke out, Mitchell tweeted, “Seeing a lot of people’s true colors….” He quote-tweeted that message Friday with the addendum, “Said it once and I’ll keep saying it!! Y’all can’t hide no more.”

A short time later, he tweeted again, expressing bewilderment at how fans can so openly support Black basketball players on the court, only to be so obtuse about the challenges they face off it.

“Can’t see how yall can openly cheer for us then when it comes to this be against us so openly!!” Mitchell wrote.

Still, the vast majority of commenters were either supportive of Mitchell and his message, or took aim at the negative posters, pointing out that their words only seemed to reinforce the issues that Westbrook and other NBA players have with Utah fans yet again.

Wrote user jed_banta: “Lots of disappointing comments on this post. We Jazz fans have a [long way] to go before the reputation of our fanbase is changed and I’m ashamed.”

In the days since former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was caught on camera pressing his knee against George Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes until he died, Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff have addressed the incident in team meetings.

There has been discussion and support, both as a team and individual units, as the fallout from Floyd’s death plays out across the nation in the form of rallies and protests of police brutality. In an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday, Whittingham reaffirmed his love for the togetherness and diversity inside his locker room, which is generally split three ways between African-American, white/LDS and Polynesian student-athletes.

Friday afternoon’s scathing revelation involving Morgan Scalley, in the middle of what is shaping up to be a pivotal moment of civil unrest in the United States, may put all of that to the test.

In a school-issued statement, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said he has spoken to Scalley, who was contrite, while acknowledging he sent the text message with a derogatory term. In the same statement, Scalley apologized, called the word he used “insensitive,” and accepted the suspension, which is with pay and indefinite while the school investigates.

“We’ve certainly addressed it, with the staff first and then we had a team meeting a few nights ago via Zoom where we talked to the team about it,” Whittingham told The Tribune about the Floyd video, one day before criminal charges against Chauvin were upgraded to second-degree murder, while the other three officers involved were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. “This week, the offense and the defense as individual units are having Zoom calls as well with their groups and further discussing.

“Bottom line is, we want to make sure we’re there to support our guys and that they know we’re there for them. We have a great mental health team here at the University of Utah and just making sure the players use all the resources available to them and know the support is there if they want to reach out. That’s been our main focus since the event.”

Added Utah receivers coach Guy Holliday: “What I see is really a problem allowed to fester and exist for whatever reasons, but it seems to be a fear of African-American men, plus a willingness to intimidate, be aggressive and punish. What we have to recognize is there are good and bad people within all races, it’s not exclusive to men or minorities. We have to have more tolerance and really better treatment of human beings.”

In the wake of Floyd’s death, Whittingham, Holliday and the rest of the coaching staff were already in the middle of a unique and teachable moment. While African Americans make up nearly 50% of all FBS rosters according to multiple analysis done over the last decade by a variety of sources, Whittingham is the head coach of one of, if not the most-diverse rosters in the country.

“It’s one of the things I love most about our program and our team, the diversity,” Whittingham said. “We believe we’re the most-diverse team in the country and not just from an ethnic background, but we also have 18-year-old freshman and 25-year-old returned missionaries. We have various religious backgrounds, so you’d be hard-pressed to find a team in the country in any sport that has the level of diversity that we have. To me, it’s been a blessing. It’s a way for these guys to interact with each other, get along with each other and it’s been a strength of ours. It’s been great to be a part of that for so many years.

“I think it helps prepare them for life in a lot of different ways. To learn how to get along and be part of a team and have so many guys pulling in the same direction that genuinely care about each other and love each other, it’s just great to be a part of.”

In the aftermath, a handful of former players and recruits have come out in support of Scalley on Twitter, which is to be expected. Scalley, 40, is generally considered player-friendly, a strong defensive mind, an effective recruiter and a future head coach. He is viewed by some as the potential successor to Whittingham whenever he decides to retire.

How things play out in the shorter term will also offer fascination because as rallies and protests persist, Utah players, and young men of color in general, have proven more than willing to use social media to help get their point of racial injustice across.

One Ute in particular, redshirt junior running back TJ Green, has been active on social media in the days since protests ramped up nationwide. Tuesday and Wednesday nights brought protests to the downtown area of Green’s hometown of Chandler, Ariz.

On Tuesday, Green tweeted out a photo of himself with a group of fellow young African-American males. They are holding up a sign that reads “AM I NEXT?” That sentence is sandwiched in between two black power fists. The next day, Green fired off a photo of himself holding the sign at a protest next to a photo of himself in game action at Utah. The accompanying tweet read, “If you do not support me in this field, Then do NOT support me on the field.”

“There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it, but we talk in this program all the time about letting their personalities show through,” Whittingham said. “You get a team of 100-plus players, approaching 120 players, you have a bunch of personalities and you want them to manifest. That also goes for the coaching staff. If you’re on a coaching staff, in a meeting with 12 guys with the same personality and who all think the same way, you don’t need that. We encourage people to be themselves and stand up for what they believe in, but do it the right way. There are ways to do things constructively instead of destructively.”

Holliday added. “I think it’s very important for young people to have a voice. For so long, adults tended to brush over and really don’t acknowledge the opinions and voices of our youth. If you see the protests, they are cross-racial and there is a lot of pain and frustration if you listen to what these young people are saying. We need to listen to what they’re saying, we have to stop dismissing them as not being important.”

A University of Utah football player who was charged earlier this month with allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl is now facing more charges after prosecutors allege he raped two other women.

Terrell Perriman, a 20-year-old wide receiver for the U., is now charged with a total of eight felonies: Three counts of rape, two charges of forcible sodomy, a count of forcible sexual abuse and aggravated kidnapping.

Prosecutors amended the charges Friday, adding accusations that Perriman raped two other women in Salt Lake County — one just three days before he allegedly raped the teen girl.

That woman reported that she went to Perriman’s home after he text her and told her his roommate would be there. Perriman took her to his room and allegedly asked when she would stop “teasing” him and have sex with him.

The woman said she did not want to, according to charges, but Perriman grabbed her and pulled off her leggings and underwear and raped her.

A third woman reported that Perriman forced her to perform oral sex twice between October and November 2018 while they were at her home.

Perriman was arrested Jan. 30 after the 17-year-old girl reported he assaulted her.

The girl reported that, on Jan. 23, Perriman sent her an Uber ride so she could come to his apartment. Once there, charges allege, he trapped her in his room and wouldn’t let her leave. The teen told police she was afraid after she saw that Perriman had a stun gun.

She asked him if she could go, according to court documents, and he said only after she had sexual contact with him. She told him she didn’t want to and that she was only 17 and in high school. Perriman allegedly blocked the door, took her cellphone and covered her mouth while she screamed.

The girl said he then pulled his pants down and forced her out of hers and raped her, according to court documents. Perriman then ordered another Uber and sent the teen home, according to the probable cause statement.

Perriman was dismissed from the U.’s football team late Friday afternoon after initially being suspended after his arrest.

“Today, we were made aware of additional charges that led to our decision to dismiss him,” Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement. “Because of the ongoing legal process, and with Terrell no longer a part of our program, we will have no further comments regarding the situation.”

Perriman is currently at the Salt Lake County jail in lieu of $750,000 bail — an amount his attorney, David Drake, has contested.

Drake wrote in court papers that Perriman did not rape the teen girl, and that she made the allegations after she found out that Perriman was not dating her exclusively. He argued that text messages showed that the girl continued to talk with Perriman after the alleged assault, and she was not fearful of him.

Perriman is expected to be in court again on March 2, when his attorney will argue for his bail to be lowered.

Tribune reporter Josh Newman contributed to this story.

Terrell Perriman’s initial court appearance Thursday morning did not produce anything out of the ordinary.

A Rule 16 Discovery Request was made and a new court date of Feb. 18 was set. At that time, Perriman will stand before Judge Chelsea Koch at the Third District Court in West Jordan. Perriman will remain in Salt Lake County Jail on $750,000 bail.

A Rule 16 Discovery Request is a standard motion that defense attorneys file asking prosecutors to give them all of the evidence that they have.

When asked about the Perriman situation on Wednesday afternoon during his National Signing Day press conference, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham balked.

“I made the statement on that, and due to the nature of the nature of the investigation, what’s going on, I’m precluded from saying anything or comment in any way, shape or form,” Whittingham said.

Perriman was immediately suspended from the team last week, but as of Thursday afternoon, he remained on Utah’s official roster.

A statement describing the probable cause for his arrest alleges that he met the girl on Instagram and then the two connected on Snapchat. The teenager told police, according to court documents, that Perriman pressured her to send him nude photos and that he sent her several sexually graphic videos and a picture.

On Jan. 23, the girl said Perriman sent her an Uber ride so she could come to his apartment. Once she was there, charges allege, he trapped her in his room and wouldn’t let her leave. The teen told police she was afraid after she saw that Perriman had a stun gun.

She asked him if she could go, according to court documents, and he said only after she had sexual contact with him. She told him she didn’t want to and that she was only 17 and in high school. Perriman allegedly blocked the door, took her cellphone and covered her mouth while she screamed. She tried to bite him.

The girl said he then pulled his pants down and forced her out of hers and raped her, according to court documents. Perriman then ordered another Uber and sent the teen home, according to the probable cause statement.

Tribune reporter Courtney Tanner contributed to this story.