Michael Rose-Ivey spoke with Mike Riley before protest

On Monday, Nebraska linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey gave an amazing speech about his decision to take a knee during the national anthem ahead of last Saturday’s game against the Northwestern Wildcats. It seems head coach Mike Riley knew about his stance on the protest after speaking with the player beforehand.

Riley talked about how professional Rose-Ivey was in approaching the coach and requesting time to talk to the team. He also mentioned that he had no problem with his players standing, or in this case kneeling, for something they believe in.

“Michael Rose-Ivey approached me about it the night before, and we had a discussion about it,” Riley said in his Monday press conference. “He asked if he could speak to the team about it, which he did at the walk-through the day of the game. He very eloquently expressed his position and why he was going to do that.”

It is great to see a coach stand behind their players in their actions and it is even better that he is allowing his players to speak with one another, even if they have differing opinions on the matter.

The Cornhuskers continue their season on Saturday when they face off against Illinois at 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

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