LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Asia Todd has never shied away from speaking her mind, no matter how controversial the issue was.
“My parents really had to cultivate me to learn how to express those things and doing it in the right way,” said Todd. “Like I know there's always going to be problems everywhere and racism is just not one of those things that I can tolerate.”
Nearly a week ago, in a 71-second video posted on social media, Asia announced she was transferring after her freshman year at Liberty. Not because of on-court issues but because of actions by school president Jerry Falwell Jr.
“I didn't plan to attend Liberty and transfer after one year. I like stability,” Todd explained. “And as a student-athlete, I want to feel valued and feel like I belong in the system... outside of the system. And that's why I feel that was the best decision for me.”
Asia's former teammates and coaches didn't want her to leave but understood this was bigger than any basketball game.
“They really wanted to see me blossom all four years,” Todd said. “And that they wanted to be a part of that growth and development... not just on the court but off the court.
While her one year at Liberty was mostly positive, it was a tweet by Falwell directed at Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, which contributed to her departure from the school.
“Definitely what transpired two weeks ago from the leader, it definitely was like, okay that it is, enough is enough,” Todd mentioned.
And as Asia prepares to choose her next school, she hopes this experience gives people more strength to speak out on racial injustice.
“I just want this, the video and not even just the video but my story and the reasons why to encourage people to break that code of silence,” expressed Todd. “And I just want this to show people that are in leadership, to be held to a higher standard and to exemplify racial unity and not racial insensitivity.”
CBS 6 reached out to Liberty’s athletic department for a comment on Asia’s decision to leave the school. They released a statement that read:
“Once a student-athlete enters the NCAA transfer portal, they become a recruitable student-athlete. Per NCAA rules, our coaches and administrators are prohibited from speaking about recruitable student-athletes. Because of NCAA rules, Coach Green, Athletics Director Ian McCaw, and the athletics department are unable to comment on Asia Todd’s social media announcement.”
