Last year, as the United States went to war, Toni Smith, a senior forward at a small liberal arts school in suburban New York, turned away from the flag at the start of her basketball games as a silent protest against the policies of this country. It was, as gestures go, a small one. She had no reason to expect that anyone would notice, outside of a few teammates and fans.

She was wrong.

At a time when dissent was almost unheard of, and Howard Dean’s public anger at the war was months away, the story garnered national attention. ESPN followed it closely. Editorial page writers all over the country weighed in on the story, often cruelly attacking Toni for her actions. Throughout the controversy, Toni handled herself with grace and class.