Watch: Texas Longhorns Players, Coaches March, Speak at State Capitol
The Texas Longhorns players and coaches made their voices heard in their first public appearance in nearly three months.
Players and coaches returned showed solidarity in an bold showing of unity.
Members of the team kneeled for nine silent minutes, symbolic for the amount of time a Minnesota police officer was kneeled on the neck of George Floyd.
Floyd died after repeatedly telling the officer, Derek Chauvin, that he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin has since been fired and charged with second-degree murder, and the three other police officers involved have been fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Texas safety Caden Sterns delivered a heartfelt speech on a bullhorn. Sterns has been one of the more vocal members of the team over the past few days.
"If you fail to realize what's going on in front of you, when you see it every day, on social media you see how we've been viewed throughout history and the way we've been treated, you're close minded and you're part of the problem."
Texas head coach Tom Herman handed out Gatorade to both his players and escorting police officers as the Longhorns made the relatively short march from campus to the Texas State Capitol.
Herman did not have a comment, declining to speak and deflecting all attention to his players to use their voices.
Receiver Brennan Eagles made news earlier in the day when he stated that he may sit out the season unless there is some change in the way people of color are treated.
“Okay so for all my brothers out there that are student athletes, do you really think athletics should be a man focus right now during this time that we live in? At the end of the day if that is the main focus i [sic] find you blind to the fact that your platform can change this. Thousands of people come to watch for Entertainment, revenue is built from that, money is generated from us. If it wasn’t for athletics we would’t have coaches/trainers. Doctors wouldn’t perform as many surgeries, etc. the list goes on. I’ll be damned if you think I’ll play Another snap with the platform i have that effects majority of people that contribute to the sport who don’t actually play. Know your value is all I’m saying. Athletics brings people together all over but at the end of the day I’m not going to play another snap knowing what’s going on in our society due to color and the system being broken… i just can’t…….let’s look at the bigger picture. Don’t care if you yellow or blue that goes for every athlete/Supporter out there.
Herman has made it a point to stand behind his players as much as possible as they speak out against racial inequality.
He appeared on the Colin Cowherd Show earlier in the week with strong comments backing his team.
“I told our players I don’t have their back, I have their front. ‘You tell me what to do, what wall to run through, I’ll run through it, I’ll make a hole so big that you guys can walk through it.’ Because that’s how passionately we feel, because when you love somebody the way we love our players and you see them hurt and you see them angry and you see them frustrated, much like a parent, you want to take all of that off of their heart and you want to put it all on yourself and be there for them and provide some guidance for them. Hopefully us here at Texas we won’t be forgotten on our message on this topic. In a short few weeks, hopefully us a program and our individuals within our program can help truly affect real change in the system.”
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