University of Alabama at Birmingham head football coach Trent Dilfer revealed on Monday that one of his players was affected by the weekend mass shooting in Birmingham that left four dead and 17 others injured late Saturday night.
Although he wouldn't go into details about how his player was affected, Dilfer said the violence was an opportunity to teach his team about being role models in the community.
"[N]o. 1, our hearts go out with the victims, their families," Dilfer said to open up his "Coffee with Coach" show. "We personally had a player who was affected by it. I don't want to share details, but ... it has touched our program. But it also reinforces why we built this thing for something bigger than football. It was an opportunity to talk to our players, reinforce why we're trying to build men that will have a positive impact on our communities, especially the city of Birmingham."
"We obviously have issues, violence, we feel like our kids here, as they grow in the program, can be role models to young kids in the city; that there's an alternative, so that's something we were able to talk to our players about," he added.
Dilfer went on to say he and the UAB program "lock arms" with Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin as he tries to stop the violence in his city.
"[M]ayor Woodfin and I have developed a good relationship, friendship," he stated. "I think the world of him. I'm maybe one of his biggest fans. I did not reach out to him after this simply because he's got a lot bigger fish to fry than the football coach."
"These are issues he has been addressing head-on for quite a while," Dilfer continued. "If you follow him on social media, he's very bold on his stance against these types of acts of violence — against [Glock] switches, all these different things that plague our community. I know that he has exhausted every effort. He has brought in other resources. He has begged for other resources. He has tried to put this in the forefront of everything, and, you know, all I can say publicly is that we lock arms with him."
Dilfer said he had spoken with his team about making better decisions and being better role models to avoid staying with the culture they grew up in.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email trent.baker@1819news.com.
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