Attorney General Gentner Drummond is praising a recent ruling by the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Oklahoma, a 25-state coalition and other plaintiffs fighting to block a new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) rule to reclassify pistols equipped with stabilizing braces as National Firearms …

Oklahoma senior defensive back Dez Malone is prepared to make his Sooners debut in two weeks. His transition period is nearly complete.

“I would say when I first got here, it was kind of a different language,” the San Diego State transfer said after Tuesday’s open practice. “Once I got the terminology down, everything slowed down a little for me, and I was able to speak the same language as everyone else around me, and that allowed me to play better within the scheme.”

Sooners head coach Brent Venables mentioned Malone’s name among the team’s most productive cornerbacks in fall camp, while wide receiver J.J. Hester called him one of the toughest to practice against.

“Dez Malone has been fantastic,” Venables said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’re better at corner than at any time that we’ve been here the last 2 1/2 years.”

Malone started all 12 games for the Aztecs last year, totaling 47 tackles, seven pass breakups and an interception. The year prior, the Mountain West’s coaches named him an honorable mention on the postseason all-conference team. The Fresno, CA, native committed to Oklahoma on Dec. 10, 2023, and has made tremendous strides over the last eight months.

“The transition’s been real smooth. This team is like, the brotherhood is something I’ve never been a part of before. It’s second to none. I feel like the guys, they really brought me in since Day 1, before I even got here. I love it here. I love everything about it,” Malone said. “I was looking for just somewhere I feel like that would push me, you know? Somewhere that I can grow as a man. That’s why, 10 seconds [of] talking to Coach V, I knew he was a good man I could follow and could come up under. That’s one thing I was looking for that I kind of valued over a lot of different places.”

Malone sees the secondary as Venables sees it: blossoming. He spoke at length about teammates like sophomore Jacobe Johnson, “another guy with all the athletic ability in the world”; junior Gentry Williams, “a guy I can learn from”; and senior Woodi Washington, who has been “everything that you need and would think of from a sixth-year senior.

“We have a great group. All of our guys can go. Real good, solid group, have a lot of different flavors. We have speed, size, smarts. We have everything. I love our group,” Malone said. “I think I’ve improved a lot. They told me the smarts here is a whole different level. Being around Coach V and [Jay] Valai, it’s a lot of learning that I took. I’ve become a smarter player just being around these guys.”

Fans may find Malone’s endorsement of the Sooners’ receivers even more heartening.

“Me, personally, I think we have the best receiving corps in the nation. We have a whole bunch of guys who can go. It was unfortunate what happened with [Jayden Gibson] because he was a guy that helped me get better when I first got here because we went up against each other a lot just because he’s a very competitive player. JJ is very good. We have a lot of great guys that are ready to come up.”

The 16th-ranked Sooners open against Temple on Friday, Aug. 30, inside Memorial Stadium. Their four-game home stretch will conclude on Sep. 21 against No. 15 Tennessee to open their inaugural SEC schedule. OU was picked to finish eighth in the SEC this year.

“We enjoy being the underdog,” Malone said. “We’re fine with wherever they put us. We know it’s up to us ultimately to do what we want to do. It really don’t matter to us.”

For my entire life, research has consistently shown Indigenous students are challenged and harmed by the use of Native American mascots. In my rural hometown, four of these systemic oppressors exist within a 20-mile radius. I am a Tecumseh graduate and an officer of Oklahoma’s oldest active alumni association; however, I am not a Savage. I am a proud citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

Slurs should never be used to synthesize identity and pride in our affiliations. We cannot make exceptions for Indigenous people. Tradition cannot conquer conscience. The use of a slur accompanying the depiction of a Native American as a school mascot is a recurring conversation in my hometown. Debates of honor and absent personal offense should not permit de facto racism. We must accurately name the willful sustainment of slurs as mascots.

Individual action and redress are vital at the district level, but diversity of thought and experiences limit rural districts and overlook historically oppressed communities. The districts brandishing racial epitaphs are not governed by the population they seek to embody. Additionally, larger threats present themselves for districts to address: depleting funding revenues, qualified labor shortages and holistic student support.

This does not even broach the growing schism between districts, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Statute or state mandates eliminating the use of slurs as mascots would present an opportunity to protect Indigenous children and honor the Native nations that are tokenized in the current system. Districts should not be responsible for implementing common-sense legislation on a case-by-case basis. This is a shortsighted waste of time that divides community, limiting the impact of devoted educators and Oklahoma’s education system. Responsibility lies at a higher level.

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Elected officials should have stepped in earlier. If the state forfeits that responsibility, communities must work together to protect each and every one of our children equitably. District officials, school board members and community leaders must take action now.

Slurs have no place in schools, let alone emblazoned on the masthead. All students are worthy of belonging and unfettered access to education. Change the mascots and resolve to limit obscenities within our children’s lives.

Bobby “Trae” Trousdale (Citizen Potawatomi) is a lifelong Oklahoman and active community member currently residing in the south side of Oklahoma City.