Video: Alabama Football Players March Against Racial Injustices

On Monday afternoon, Crimson Tide players protested peacefully against racial injustices and police brutality

Tyler Martin | Aug 31, 2020

In wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., University of Alabama football players took a stand against racial injustices and police brutality on Monday afternoon.

The team led a march from the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility to the main entrance of Foster Auditorium, where former Alabama governor George Wallace made his stand against desegregation in 1963.

“Today, I’m like a proud parent," Nick Saban said.

"I’m proud of the message.”

One of the main proponents leading the charge amongst Crimson Tide athletes is senior offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood, who penned the essay in the football program's Black Lives Matter video earlier in the summer.

"My opinions have not changed at all," Leatherwood said last week. "The creative process to be honest was almost like — I don't know, it just like came to me out of nowhere. I am by no means a writer or anything like that because I'm very math-minded. Left-brained, you know what I mean? But I felt like that was just something that came to me and I felt like because I'm not really an outspoken person but I felt like those thoughts and those feelings that I had to for the situation needed to be heard so I used my platform to do so."

Leatherwood reiterated that police shootings like Blake's should be not be normal in this country.

"Of course it's been discussed around the team and stuff like that," Leatherwood said. "But I mean, just like I said earlier, we feel the same way as we did a few months ago when we put out that video. Of course, we're not really angered but like we just don't feel good about that kind of stuff. We don't like to see it. It shouldn't be normal to be seeing that kind of stuff every few weeks, every month or so. It's not good. We don't like it."

Published Aug 31, 2020

TYLER MARTIN

Tyler Martin is a staff writer with Bama Central and has been covering the Crimson Tide since August of 2019. He emphasizes in recruiting, football, and basketball, while covering all other Alabama athletics.