Missouri Football Players Register to Vote After Leading George Floyd March

The University of Missouri football team dedicated Wednesday to leading a peaceful protest and registering to vote in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing May 25.

"Today we decided that action is what causes change," head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, who was hired in December, said in a statement. "Our integrity is when words and actions come into alignment. So we did that—our players led a powerful walk to the courthouse where we took a knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, to honor the life of George Floyd and demand justice. This isn't political. It's a human rights issue."

Drinkwitz added that 62 student-athletes registered to vote.

Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk released a statement Sunday:

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in the custody of Minneapolis police. Officer Derek Chauvin, who has since been fired, knelt on the back of Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds before he was ultimately pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. A charge of second-degree murder was added Wednesday—when the other three officers present at the scene were formally charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Mizzou's campus in Columbia, Missouri, was previously the site of protests in 2015 after then-student government president Payton Head shared he had been the target of racist behavior. The football team took part in the protests, and university president Tim Wolfe ultimately resigned.