Alabama coach Nick Saban issued a statement Sunday afternoon as protests continued across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody Monday in Minneapolis.

Saban cited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks in his statement and said “it’s time to love each other.” He also noted the deaths of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.

“I am shocked and angered by the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery,” Saban said. “We’re at an important moment for our country, and now is the time for us to choose kindness, tolerance, understanding, empathy, and most importantly ... it’s time to love each other. Every life is precious, and we must understand we have so many more things that unite us than divide us.”

“I’ve always been inspired and encouraged by examples set by those who came before us like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and so many others who devoted their lives to finding peaceful ways to rid our society of social inequities. As Dr. King said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied to a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.’ We are all part of this and we must banish these types of injustices in not just our country, but our world. The ultimate future of our nation is in our hands, and like the teams I’ve been privileged to coach, we must depend on and respect each other no matter our differences. We must come together as a society and treat one another with respect and dignity.”

Other coaches weigh in

Saban was not the only college football coach to make a statement regarding the unrest in the country. Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason made a passionate plea on Twitter in a thread that we urge you to read by clicking the last tweet of the thread below.

Here are some of the other coaches who weighed in.

Ex-officer charged with third-degree murder

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Two days after Floyd died, the University of Minnesota said it would no longer use Minneapolis police for large events. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck issued a statement regarding Floyd’s death on Friday night and called it “indefensible.”

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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