TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama players and coaches are planning a march Monday to protest social injustice, ending at the schoolhouse door where Gov. George Wallace once stood to block two Black students from entering in 1963.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said he supports his players’ focus on trying to “make things better in the future.” They’re joining a number of other college and professional sports teams who have marched or spoken out in the wake of police shootings including Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Tailback Najee Harris posted the plans for Monday’s march on Twitter and teammates retweeted. Harris said they would march from the Mal Moore Athletics Facility at 4 p.m. and “meet at the schoolhouse door at Foster Auditorium.”
“We want our voices to be heard as we strive to enact social change and rid our world of social injustices,” Harris wrote.
In another post, he said: “We want all Alabama athletes to join us. This isn’t a fan day . this isn’t a football game . this is about lasting CHANGE!”
Saban has arranged for a number of speakers to the team, including Condoleeza Rice, Tony Dungy, Stephen A. Smith, Joey Galloway and Charles Barkley.
“And they all did a phenomenal job of trying to explain to players, how can we have a plan for change?” Saban said. “How can we make things better in the future? And I think that’s what our players have really been focused on, and I think that’ll be what they want to try to get out there, a message on Monday. And we’re very much in support of that.”
