Protest Vote May Have Been Distraction Before Miami Loss

A UCLA players’ vote on an affirmative-action protest was taken on the eve of the Bruins’ loss to Miami, a potentially divisive issue that one school official acknowledged may have been a “distraction.”

The team voted Friday, before its departure, not to wear black sweatbands during the game to protest the affirmative-action stance by the University of California system, several sources said. The issue arose again after the Bruins arrived in Miami that night.

What followed was a 49-45 loss that knocked UCLA out of contention for the national championship. The aftermath included the offense taking shots at a defense that had played woefully and players questioning whether injured linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo was actually fit enough to return for the second half, even though the team physician said the sprained knee ligament could keep Ayanbadejo out of the Rose Bowl.

“I talked to a couple of guys and they said that regardless of what anybody says, that’s not why they got beat,” one source cautioned.

“It’s something that could get blown out of proportion because of what happened.”

Regardless, it signaled a potential discord on the team just before what Coach Bob Toledo said “might be the biggest game of their life and the biggest game in the history of UCLA.” The postgame sniping also raises the issue of the emotional state of the team as it begins preparations to face Wisconsin in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl.

Monday, one former Bruin who keeps close ties with the current players said there has been a division between the offense and defense for much of the season, with UCLA using one of the most potent scoring attacks in the nation to rise to No. 2 in the bowl championship series system but consistently being troubled by an inability to stop the opponent.