Hundreds of University of Alabama athletes marched on campus on Monday to protest racial injustice, with football coach Nick Saban seen leading the crowd in photos and videos of the event.
Athletes were seen wearing "Black Lives Matter" and "Defend Black Lives" shirts and carrying signs during the demonstration, which, according to AL.com, included a march from Mal Moore athletic facility to Foster Auditorium’s schoolhouse door, followed by speeches from Saban and others.
The schoolhouse door once served as the infamous background of then-Alabama Gov. George Wallace resisting desegregation in 1963.
Powerful image as Nick Saban leads the Alabama football team on a march for social justice. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/GERQphxai0
— Simone Eli (@SimoneEli_TV) August 31, 2020
“This is something that the team decided to do together as a team, so I’m very proud and supportive of what they are trying to say and in a peaceful and intelligent way. I’m very pleased to be here today,” Saban reportedly said.
Saban said he has learned a lot from the players during recent calls for racial justice.
“Sports has always created a platform for social change,” Saban said, according to AL.com. “For each of us involved in sports, I think we have a responsibility and obligation to do that in a responsible way and use our platform in a positive way to try to create social change in positive ways.”
In the video, written by current Alabama left tackle Alex Leatherwood, a group of players and Saban say together, “We are a team, Black, white and brown. Together, we are a family. We are brothers who represent ourselves, our families, our hometowns, our university and our country."
