Chris Owens on Monday's March: "I Thought Yesterday was Really Good"

The Alabama football redshirt-senior offensive lineman spoke to the media on Tuesday afternoon regarding Monday's rally

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Following Monday's march and rally against racial injustice and police brutality, Alabama football redshirt-senior offensive lineman Chris Owens spoke with the media on Tuesday regarding his opinion of the event.

Along with coach Nick Saban, director of athletics Greg Byrne among others, Owens was one of the featured speakers at the event.

“I thought yesterday was really good,” Owens said. “We had a bunch of programs. Not just football but we had all the sports that came together and we have a lot of the same goals and the same missions that we want to accomplish. Any time that you can get a group of people — not just football, but everybody around campus — to march and have the same passions for the same things it’s always a good thing.

"I was happy with the turnout, happy that we had as many authority figures on the campus that did speak out and overall the support was really good so I was pleased by it.”

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As the players from all Crimson Tide sports programs marched down Paul W. Bryant Drive towards Foster Auditorium, Saban led the group along with senior running back Najee Harris and Owens.

Since yesterday's march, many fans of college football have both praised and also criticized Saban for putting himself front and center, with those that were opposed to the march blaming Saban for politicizing the Alabama football program.

Owens had nothing but positive things to say about Saban and believes that his actions can go a long way.

“Coach Saban was very supportive,” Owens said. “This wasn’t something that we made him [do], this was something that he wanted to do because he truly does care about his players. We didn’t have to pull teeth. He truly cares about us and he wanted to be up front. He wanted to let everyone know that he has our backs and just to have him there with us and talking to him about getting him to come along and how we were feeling as a team, he was always very supportive. We really do appreciate it because coach Saban is someone who’s very powerful not just in the college football industry but all over the world and to have someone like that on our side that truly cares about us is really special.”

Alabama Athletics

The march and rally were met with a mostly positive response by fans. However, in a divided nation where many people do not see racial injustice or police brutality as a major concern, some people took it upon themselves to direct harsh words of criticism towards Saban, Owens and the Alabama football program.

Owens stated that he doesn't focus on the criticism, choosing to focus his attention on what he can do as a leader on the team to advance the movement.

“It’s not really my job to tell anybody how they should or shouldn’t feel,” Owens said. “I can only speak from where I come from and where I hope the team would want to be represented. When I speak out I just do it as far as being a leader. This is my fifth season and I want to be someone that the team can look up to and they can come to if they have any issues and I also want to be a good representative of the team so I don’t really worry too much about what other people have to say or the opinions that they have, good or bad. But for the most part I just want to be a good representation.”

Owen's speech at Monday's rally was one of the more emotional moments of the day. Speaking from personal experience, Owens recounted his experience as a young Black man in today's America.

Owens also took time to speak on the role of sports and its athletes in these current times.

"In sports, a team is a place where everyone has an equal opportunity to be successful and in order to get things done on the field of play we must all come together and unite as one," Owens said at Monday's event. "We must understand that mission that we are trying to accomplish and take the necessary steps to reach our goals.

"Now, look at the status of our country. Unlike the example of our team, our country is not a place of equality and of unity at the moment. Because of this, we are unable to accomplish the goals of a just society. I'm only a 22-year-old man, but the things I've seen and experienced in my life have been enough for me to grow tired of the struggles black people have to deal with in this society."

Owens' speech was met with applause from the athletes, coaches and fans present. In the time since the event, he has been given many positive remarks and compliments for making his stance on the issue known.

Regarding the feedback, Owens explained that he simply wants to be a good representation of his team and the issues that its Black players face on a daily basis.

“I’ve gotten some really good feedback for it,” Owens said to the media on Tuesday. “As far as what was going on in my head I just wanted to speak from the heart and while doing that I also wanted to be a good representation of the team. I wanted to have words that weren’t just mine but could reflect for everyone and that could not only just show how we’re feeling in times like this but also push a positive message to help create change. You don’t want to just go over there and say anything.

"You want to actually have impactful words and I was hoping my words were impactful and from what people have told me they did pretty good."