 ETSU had only been integrated for a year when Carlos was recruited by the school, and he described Commerce as "not just 65 miles" from Dallas, but "also about 65 years in the past" when compared to the Texan metropolis.He additionally accused track coach Delmer Brown of not treating African American athletes fairly.Other African American track team members accused Brown of mistreatment in 1970, and in early 1972 African American football players issued "a long list of complaints" against head coach Ernest Hawkins, which ultimately resulted in the creation and implementation of 16 recommendations by the Athletic Council before the football team's national championship season that fall.