Clemson football team holds protest on campus for racial injustice

CLEMSON, S.C. — Tonight the Clemson football team held a peaceful demonstration on campus to protest the racial injustices happening across America.

The event was planned at the beginning this week, spearheaded by running back Darien Rencher, linebacker Mike Jones Jr., wide receiver Cornell Powell, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Rencher carried the same sign that South Carolna’s Jay Urich made for the Gamecocks’ protest last week. The two have been good friends for years, and Urich overnighted the sign to Clemson so Rencher could carry it at Clemson’s protest.

The event started with a moment of silence that lasted eight minutes and 46 seconds, the same amount of time that George Floyd was pinned to the ground with a knee on his neck in Minneapolis.

Then players led a march of about two miles that stretched around campus, before returning to Bowman Field where several players and head coach Dabo Swinney got up before the crowd to speak.

According to Clemson, an estimated 3,000 people were in attendance for the protest.