Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen Addressed Team on Social Injustice

Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen addressed the team, in various forms, regarding the on-going protests, and social injustices and police brutality seen throughout the United States.

As the United States undergoes one of the most outspoken, large-scale protests in its history in the name of "Black Lives Matter", many around the country are looking for guidance from various sources whether it be parents, colleagues, friends, family, or anything in between. For student-athletes - which is comprised majorly of people of color -, their guidance can come from coaches, to listen and learn.

The listening is done, not necessarily by the students - although that is typically where the conversation stems from -, but by the coaches themselves, which are historically not men or women of color. In collegiate sports, the social injustices that have spread throughout this country for hundreds of years, are not a rarity. This is why many find it important for coaches to listen and learn from their students, offering a perspective one may not reach by study alone.

Mullen, in a video conference call with the Gators' media, briefly addressed the topic on Tuesday when he was asked about his comments made to the team on the various issues spreading throughout the country.

“Yeah I’m not going to get into what we’re, specifics on it, but we’ve had several discussions amongst the staff and within the team at different times and through different ways, whether it be individually and smaller groups or as a full team, we have," Mullen said. "And, you know it’s been very educational to me. I’ve learned a lot. Learned from our players and learned from our coaches and learned from personal retrospective.”

Shared on social media a little over two weeks ago, Mullen expressed unity with the message of social justice for "all".

pic.twitter.com/FIZCPy0BfQ
— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) June 1, 2020

While Mullen did not get into specifics of what was discussed regarding the protests or the alleged murder of Minnesota man George Floyd, speaking to players individually or in a group setting can lead to productive and healthy conversations concerning the treatment of people of color, along with police brutality in today's society.

Mullen did make sure to state he addressed players in various forms, whether individually, in a group setting, or even as a team. This is something Florida State University head coach Mike Norvell erroneously blundered during his initial statement regarding the matter, stating he had spoken to each player on the Seminoles individually.

Since then, Norvell has apologized profusely for his error of words and has gone on to participate in a 'unity walk' with his players, offering words to the crowd, stating that "we have to have action to show a unified country," noting the importance of all black lives, and the importance of "everybody" to be on the same page and message in order to unify together.

Several Gators coaches whether on the football staff, such as defensive line coach David Turner who offered several messages throughout the week on social media in the name of social justice or track and field coach Mike Holloway who offered an op-ed on the matter, have come together during this time to offer words.

Scottie Lewis, a sophomore point guard for Gators basketball, recently conducted his very own peaceful protest in his hometown of Asbury Park (NJ.), leading the way from a player's perspective and something that he has been able to relate to very well growing up.

Whether through words or actions, the University of Florida has showcased plenty of reasons to believe they're willing to go the extra mile to help in this cause, something that will need to continue for anything to change, especially today.