Edwards' career has focused on the experiences of African-American athletes and he is a strong advocate of black participation in the management of professional sports.

[2] In early 1968, at a speech given at Cornell University, Edwards spoke publicly in favor of a boycott by black athletes of the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City.

"[3] Edwards told Time magazine that he "wants to serve as a role model—the promising athlete who gave up the possibility of a career in professional sports to become a scholar instead.

Black kids must learn to distribute their energies in a way that's going to make them productive, contributing citizens in an increasingly high-technology society.

However, in 2016, Edwards rescinded all association and affiliation with the lecture forum as a result of the implementation of the State of Texas "campus concealed carry law" at the university.