Gators Players, Commits Come Together, Voice Support for Black Lives Matter
After head coach Dan Mullen and his team spoke about the police-involved shooting of unarmed, 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., he shared with the media that the last few months have been a learning experience as the country has seemingly split over social injustices.
"I’ve become very educated over the last couple of months," Mullen said on Thursday. "You know what, I would probably look at things and then go form an opinion. Now I look back and I’ve changed my opinions on a lot of things."
One example he pointed to is the "Black Lives Matter" vs. "All Lives Matter" movements and sayings.
Black Lives Matter has originated to combat racism and police brutality against Black people in response to numerous events in recent years, most recently including Blake and the police/former police-involved killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.
All Lives Matter, a counterpoint slogan that criticizes the Black Lives Matter movement, misses the point that BLM is trying to make, to which Mullen acknowledged.
"When you say Black Lives Matter it doesn’t mean I’m forgetting about other people," said Mullen. "It means I’m focusing on the social injustice issues that we currently have in our country and let’s focus on that.
"Of course all lives do matter, but that’s not what we’re talking about right now."
Mullen has encouraged his players to make their voices heard, using their platform to create change when it comes to social injustices or anything they believe in. He said as much in his Zoom availability on Thursday, and his players heard that message.
Late on Thursday and throughout the day on Friday, numerous Florida players have expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and joined together to fight racism and social injustice.
Starting quarterback Kyle Trask shared the message via social media: "Stand up to racism. #BLM," which received mixed responses.
Many, including his teammates, took his side in unity and shared a similar message, while some fans and third parties criticized Trask, one going as far as to say "Don't start that shit. Just play ball," which led to outrage from teammates, wide receiver Trevon Grimes and defensive end Zachary Carter.
Both Grimes and Carter have been extremely vocal in their fight against social injustice and police brutality. "We need change, I am more than an athlete," Grimes tweeted on Thursday. "My color does not define me!"
Carter has challenged the NCAA in the past, claiming that the association uses athletes for profit, in which wide receiver Kadarius Toney has taken it a step further to specify that the system takes advantage of Black athletes.
2021 Gators quarterback commit Jalen Kitna shared a long, thoughtful message Thursday on Twitter. Noting that he isn't usually the most vocal as he prefers to listen and understand before speaking, Kitna says that he has listened recently and learned just how much racism and social injustices have hurt Black individuals and communities.
Below, you can find sentiments from other Florida Gators players and commits regarding the Black Lives Matter movement's sweeping momentum across the country in response to Blake's shooting, including wide receiver Jacob Copeland, offensive tackle Gerald Mincey, defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, and others.
