Mizzou athletes and staff march peacefully to demand justice

Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz and his team said they are committed to fighting for equality.

“It’s not an us versus them," Drinkwitz said on a Zoom call Thursday. "It’s all of us versus racism."

More than 60 student athletes, staff and law enforcement marched together peacefully from the MU columns to the Boone County courthouse on Wednesday. The group took a knee for eight minutes and 46 seconds in honor of George Floyd. After that, 62 student athletes registered to vote. Former Rock Bridge standout Martez Manuel organized the march, and it was supported by all of his coaches.

Coach Drinkwitz said this is not a political statement. Instead, it's a human rights issue. You can watch our entire interview with Drinkwitz in the video player below.

We spoke with defensive lineman Chris Turner and linebacker Nick Bolton during a Zoom call on Thursday as well. They said nearly every football player that was in town attended the march.

"Everybody bought in," Bolton said. "Nobody questioned it. Nobody had anything negative to say about it. I feel like that was a great step for our team and this university to move forward and try to make the world a better place."

"We all want to see a change," Turner said. "We're all willing to do whatever we can to make a positive change in our communities."

You can watch our full interviews with Bolton and Turner in the video player below.