Graduate student Jonathan Butler became a central figure in racially charged protests on the University of Missouri campus when he announced he’d remain on a hunger strike until the the university system’s president, Timothy Wolfe, resigned.

Shortly after members of the Missouri football team put their support behind the effort, Wolfe announced his resignation.

In the aftermath, critics of the student protests are taking notice of Butler’s family background.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:

Jonathan Butler played high-school football at Omaha Central High, where he won a state championship, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mizzou, the newspaper reports. He is working toward a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy.

He is a member of a prominent Omaha family. The newspaper says that Butler’s father is Eric L. Butler, executive vice president for sales and marketing for the Union Pacific Railroad. His 2014 compensation was $8.4 million, according to regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Eric L. Butler and his wife, Cynthia Butler, serve as pastors of Joy of Life Ministries, the newspaper reported. Along with Jonathan Butler, the couple has two other children.

Butler’s family is rumored to be worth millions of dollars.

The graduate student reportedly declined an interview request by the Post-Dispatch.

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