Mullen looks to give his support

Coach wants team to talk about issues

GAINESVILLE — UF coach Dan Mullen tries to see a world beyond Xs and Os, Ws and Ls and black and white.

Mullen, a 48-year-old white male from New Hampshire, might not fit the profile of a social justice warrior. But he says he wants to go to battle with knowledge and understanding while also supporting his troops.

Amid an anxiety-inducing pandemic, Mullen’s players also witnessed a social movement spurred by police shootings of Black men. Jacob Blake’s shooting Tuesday in Wisconsin prompted players to boycott NBA, WNBA, NHL and MLB games. It also prompted NFL and college football teams, including USF, to cancel practice Thursday. It also inspired some Gators to express outrage on social media.

Mullen said canceling practice was not a consideration within the team, but afterward he spoke to his players and urged them to express their feelings.

“They speak for themselves and we encourage them to do that,” Mullen said. “We encourage them to, we have a great platform, we have a platform just by the world we’re in. We can help people better understand things. We can help people by trying to become educated about other people, to try to learn about other people, to try to learn about other people’s backgrounds, to try to learn and respect other people’s backgrounds and not just draw assumptions.”

Mullen prides himself on embracing diversity, respecting opposing points of view and knowing what he does not know.

Mullen was raised by a mother from Great Britain who taught theater and dance, but he chose football as a future.

“You think about different worlds? Think about football and the theater,” Mullen said. “You get to learn about different people and get to respect different ways, different thoughts, different beliefs.”

While coaching under Urban Meyer at Utah in the early 2000s, Mullen was exposed to the Mormon faith and mentored a contingent of Polynesian players.

“I really enjoy learning about different people and different cultures and different ways,” Mullen said.

Mullen realizes there is so much for him still to discover. Listening is a good place to begin.

Some UF veterans have voiced their anger, fear and frustration as the list of Black men who were shot while being detained by police continues to grow.

Defensive end Zachary Carter, who sat out the first week of practices due to coronavirus concerns, wrote on his Twitter account, “We’re target practice to these cops they have no remorse or no sympathy… Its heartbreaking.”

Later, Carter wrote three times, “I am more than entertainment!!’

Senior receiver Trevon Grimes, who also sat out last week, wrote on his Twitter account, “We need change. I am more than an Athlete. My color does not define me.”

Carter and Grimes were not the lone voices among the Gators.

Mullen said he and his staff support all their players and want maintain an ongoing dialogue with them. Along the way, Mullen expects to be humbled.

“You know what? I get frustrated myself when I’m ignorant to different things, but we all are at times,” Mullen said.