[Minnesota Golden Gophers]
ESPN: Meanwhile, quarterback Tanner Morgan said he and other white players in the room have listened and learned as the team has grown together.
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It’s the nature and depth of the conversation that has marked the biggest change for Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Rashod Bateman and his teammates. Since the viral video of George Floyd’s death began to circulate on Memorial Day, you’ll find Bateman and Minnesota football players from a variety of backgrounds regularly sitting together just to talk.
“We have been doing a really good job of loving each other,” Bateman said. “We’ve been sharing our stories.”
The program’s Black players have been encouraged by head coach P.J. Fleck to discuss their fears and concerns. Bateman said he has conveyed his experiences with racism while growing up as a young Black man in Tifton, Georgia, and expressed the terror of feeling that he and his Black teammates could suffer a similar fate to Floyd.
Seth Green, a veteran wildcat QB on the team, said he talks to teammates about his worries that similar incidents have occurred but weren’t filmed.
Meanwhile, quarterback Tanner Morgan said he and other white players in the room have listened and learned as the team has grown together.
“It brought a lot of people together,” Morgan said. “You have to learn more about each other. You have to learn more about your brothers. We’ve been talking to each other more about deep things.”
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