Miami football players react to NBA protests

Following the NBA canceling three games on Wednesday night due to the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, several Miami football players voiced their support on twitter.

Several Miami football players declared their support for the Milwaukee Bucks following their decision to boycott their NBA playoff game on Wednesday night. The Bucks opponent, Orlando joined Milwaukee and the other two NBA playoff games for the night were canceled in support of the protests.

The Bucks chose to not play on Wednesday because of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin following the shooting of 29-year Jacob Blake. Blake was shot seven times in the back and is reportedly paralyzed. Games in MLB, MLS, and the WNBA have also been canceled on Wednesday night.

Head coach Manny Diaz issued a very poignant tweet in support of the protests and his own players on Wednesday night challenging his 69,300 followers by stating Time for hiding behind “what-about-ism” on social media is over…Growth always comes in moments of discomfort!”

Diaz hashtagged Kenosha and #VoteLikeYourLifeDependsOnIt. Miami football players were equally active on twitter on Wednesday following the protests. The majority of Miami football players are African American and this is an issue that is vital to them. Quarterback D’Eriq King showed leadership.

King has quickly become one of the leaders on the Miami football team since announcing his transfer from Houston in January. How athletes and coaches respond to adversity that does not directly impact their game often indicates their leadership abilities. Both Diaz and King have proven that.

Junior running back Camron Harris who has the responsibility of mentoring his freshman backups Jaylan Knighton and Don Chaney Jr. tweeted a salute to the Bucks and the Black Lives Matter movement 10 minutes following King’s tweet. Harris is one of the most experienced players on the 2020 Miami offense.

Several other Miami players retweeted others posts including King, Jahfari Harvey, Tirek Austin-Cave, Jordan Miller, Brevin Jordan and Corey Flagg. Bolden was the most active Hurricane on twitter on Wednesday with the boldest tweet calling out the country as disgusting and disappointing.

Two weeks ahead of the season opener against UAB it seems likely now some sort of protest will occur prior to the game against the Blazers. Players are hurt. The most telling retweet was Flagg’s of a very emotional response by Los Angeles Clippers coach discussing the treatment of African-Americans.

The leadership from the Miami football staff has been critical through the protests. Manny Diaz has been incredibly empathetic understanding the importance of the protests for the majority of his players. Diaz has been out front on this and COVID-19. The Miami football program has been progressive in their thinking.