Clemson's Trevor Lawrence Says He's Not an Activist, Wants to Promote Equality

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he does not see himself as an activist, per comments relayed by ESPN's David M. Hale. He further clarified that he is fighting for equality and to help people that he loves.

"I'm not a civil rights activist or an activist in general. I just think we all carry a responsibility based on who you are and what your platform is. For the love of my teammates and friends, family, everyone I know, I think it's part of my responsibility to try to help any way I can," Lawrence said.

He added, "I know there's a lot of eyes on me. Critics, but also a lot of younger generation people looking up to me, so I'm conscious of that. I want to use my platform the right way and try to impact people. I'm not an activist of any sorts, but I do think I have a responsibility to promote equality and help the people I love."

The 2018 college football national champion recently tweeted a statement from himself and other college football players that called for change to combat racial injustice:

Lawrence and other Clemson football team members led a march for social justice and equality and against systemic racism and police brutality on the university's campus on June 13.

Per Hale, Lawrence was one of more than two dozen college football players to craft the statement, including top 2021 NFL draft prospect Penai Sewell, an offensive tackle who previously played for Oregon.

Some of the calls for action include asking colleges to withhold athletic responsibilities on November 3 so players can vote on Election Day, building community outreach initiatives, raising awareness of racial injustice and having conversations about change with groups such as police departments, college administrators and local governments and community leaders.

Lawrence expanded upon his comments and the statement's purpose:

"Through all this, we've tried to just say, 'I know we have some differences, but let's try to find some things we all agree on,' and how do we start change from there.

"I think it's powerful that we've been able to make decisions pretty quickly as a group from all over the country to make things happen. That's where you have to start, is to find common ground and understand people's differences, but leave room for people to learn and change their mind and maybe say, 'I thought this way before, but I've kind of changed my mind.'

"We want to create a situation where people can grow. We don't want to put pressure on people to all change at the same time. But I think we can all agree the country's not in a great place right now. There's a lot of room for growth."

Lawrence is one of college sports' most prominent and publicly known athletes. He has lost just one game in two seasons as Clemson's starting quarterback and led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff National Championship twice.

For his career, Lawrence has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 8.6 yards per attempt, 66 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in addition to 740 rushing yards and 10 more scores.

His potential impact in the fight for social justice given his stature can't be understated, and Lawrence further explained how he sees himself in the fight, per Hale:

"I don't want to ever be used as a political pawn. I want to see the advancement of all people. I want people to be equal. That's where I stand, so I felt like some of the things I've done are the best ways I can support my teammates. It's not like I'm necessarily aligning with one side of politics or the other. It's just that I love my teammates and I love my friends and I see they're hurting; so how can I support them emotionally and publicly?"

Clemson will open its 2020 college football season Saturday at Wake Forest at 7:30 p.m. ET.