Tigers’ Silverfield tweets ‘BLM’ using team logo
Two days after Memphis athletes went on a Unity Walk to protest racism and injustice, Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfieldcontinued to show support for his players.
On Tuesday night, Silverfield tweeted out an image that read “BLM” in black letters against a white backdrop, with the M representing the Tigers' logo. Silverfield added his signature at the bottom with his slogan “All In” on the bottom.
The image was transposed over a picture from the Tigers' Unity Walk, where Silverfield and his players had their fist raised in support.
BLM stands for Black Lives Matter, which has been a movement since 2013
against police brutality affecting Black citizens. The phrase has been chanted at protests in Memphis and around the country over the past three weeks following the death of George Floyd after a Minneapolis police officer had his knee on his neck for close to nine minutes.
Silverfield and his players chanted it at one point during their walk Sunday from the university's south campus to main campus. He said that after listening to his players, he was challenged to make sure that not only did he support them, but did so publicly so they know where he stands on matters of racism and injustice.
“I've got to do a better job, myself, as a football coach because I understand I have a platform. I've got to voice myself in order to have our student-athletes' backs and to make sure they are not being treated unjustly in all walks of life,” Silverfield said. “I don't care if it's tomorrow or 20 years from now, we've got to keep chipping away at this thing and hope to make a positive difference in society.”
Earlier this month, Silverfield, along with running backs coach Anthony Jones Jr. and several Tigers football players, appeared in a video shared on the team's football account where they vowed to take a united stand against racism and injustice.
In the weeks following protests around the country, Silverfield said talking with his players made him more aware of what they've been through. He called it eye-opening but said that Sunday's walk was just one step of being part of the solution.
“Every day I'm learning something new and I encourage our guys to speak to me ... and let me know what we can do,” Silverfield said. “Some of them want a shoulder to lean on and cry on, and I think that's a wonderful opportunity to grow myself and to help in any way I can.”