College Football

Saban And Alabama March Together

Updated Aug. 31, 2020 7:44 p.m. ET

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Alabama football head coach Nick Saban participated in a player-organized march on campus in support of the fight against racial injustice on Monday.

The march started at 5 p.m. ET in front of the Mal Moore Athletics Facility and traveled to the steps of Foster Auditorium, the spot where Alabama Governor George Wallace symbolically blocked two Black students from enrolling in the university in 1963.

The act of unity included hundreds of students, athletes, staff and coaches.

Crimson Tide RB Najee Harris, Saban, the University of Alabama police chief and several others spoke to the group after the march about equality and creating systemic change in law enforcement.

Harris was one of the players involved in planning the march, and announced details on his social media on Friday. Coaches as well as non-student athletes were encouraged to attend.

WR Jaylen Waddle also tweeted:

The team did not have organized practice Monday.

This is the latest example of players using their voice to combat racial injustice following the recent police shooting of unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

Alabama C Chris Owens tweeted:

Ole Miss and LSU held marches on their respective campuses Thursday, and Mississippi State and Kentucky walked out of practice Wednesday.

Saban told reporters of the march on Saturday after the team’s first scrimmage of fall camp:

In his statement, he also referenced the video released by the Crimson Tide football team, that he was featured in along with several players, which centered on racial injustice. 

The overwhelming message, "All lives can't matter until Black lives matter."

Over the summer, he organized Zoom meetings with prominent Black figures in the community, such as Charles Barkley and Condoleezza Rice to address the social injustice, leadership as well as other subjects with his team.

Said Saban:

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