It was late Saturday night when the notification would have hit people’s phone.
Countless head coaches and leaders amongst the college athletic community had already made public statements on the current climate of the country. Six days after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley broke his silence with a tweet.
I ALWAYS stand with my players and I am thankful that I was raised in a home that taught me that no human, regardless of race, religion,
or any other factor…should ever be treated differently…we have a long ways to go as a society- I am committed to being a part of the change— Lincoln Riley (@LincolnRiley) May 31, 2020
“My players know who I am and know what I stand for and I’m very confident and secure in that,” Riley said Wednesday on a zoom conference call in response to a question about those questioning how long it took him to make his statement. “They know my beliefs on that. We’ve had opportunities to discuss that as a team several times and it hasn’t always been because of an issue. We always try to keep those lines of communications open and it’s something that we talk about actively in our program that nobody whether you are a coach, whether you are player, whether you are a starter, whether you’re a walk-on, regardless … whether you are black, whether you are white, whether your religion is this or that—none of that matters to us in our facility and on our football and in our program and never has.”
Protests have gone on everyday in all major cities in the United States for almost a week now. Many college athletes have spoken out on the issues the black community has faced and is continuing to face. Some of them have participated in the protest that have taken place.
When asked if Riley would join his players in protest, he didn’t hesitate to let it be known where he stands.
“I definitely stand with my players,” Riley said. “I mean, I think the statement that I put out on Twitter, and it’s not just because they’re my players—it’s the fundamental belief that, like I said, I was very fortunate I was raised in a household that taught me that no one is better than anybody else, not because of the color of their skin. Been lucky enough to be in locker rooms of sport teams all my life, so I’m fortunate to have grown up believing that and been raised in a household where that was emphasized.”
“Honestly if the players ask me to do something, that’s great, but it’s something that I would do regardless if I was a football coach or not,” Riley said. “It’s a true, fundamental belief that I have. No, certainly I stand with my players, I stand with an opportunity to help make this world a better place however big or small that opportunity is and so I don’t think anything would be off the table certainly as far as a protest or as far as a call for equality and for the world to get better, which it needs to right now. So, as long as it’s done tastefully, it’s well thought out, it’s done peacefully, there’s certainly nothing off the table in that realm for me personally.”
Almost all Oklahoma players—white, black, brown—have taken to social media or at protests to express how they feel during this time.
Safety Justin Broiles spoke at a black lives matter rally at the capitol in Oklahoma City. Safety Chanse Sylvie drafted how he would help reform law enforcement in the United States. Many others have participated in events around the country or offered and expressed their feelings on social media.
It’s something that has made Riley proud.
“… I think the biggest messages to our players have been No. 1: for them to know that they are supported here,” he said. “No. 2 is we don’t believe in holding our guys back from having the ability to speak their mind, to be involved in a protest or anything else that they believe in as long as it is done peacefully, it’s done tastefully, it’s well thought-out with good intentions.
“I would say up to this point, I’ve been extremely proud of how our players have responded. I think it’s been mature, I think it’s been very well thought-out. It’s been very unified. Just one of my prouder moments as a coach because you got players from all different players, all different backgrounds from all over the country, guys have been brought up in all kinds of different households—you name it, we’re kind of the melting pot. And to see how our guys have responded up to this point, I’ve been extremely, extremely proud.”
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