'Enough is enough': UNC coach Mack Brown posts anti-racism video

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- There was nothing generic about the video Mack Brown recorded and posted to UNC football's social media channels Saturday. It was lengthy, it was pointed and it was purposeful.

"How many times has a black man or woman been unjustly harassed, assaulted, injured or killed?"

"Enough is enough. Black Lives Matter."

When asked Monday why he felt it was important to do the video, Brown's answer lasted five minutes.

"People think it's political. I haven't got a political bone in my body. It's what's right." The Tar Heels head coach said. "We built the program on being fair and being consistent and doing what's right."

It was Brown alone in the video but his message was a collaborative effort crafted after hours of conversation with his fellow staff members and players.

"When the most recent incident came up, we had a lot of talks with our players and some were very upset and very bothered, and then we had an hour and a half conversation in our staff room one day," Brown said. "These are guys that work together and they're very comfortable with each other, and it was not the most comfortable conversation.

"Because I haven't been the victim of racism, I asked them to help me represent them and help me say what they would like to say because of the voice that I have," Brown added.

"All lives don't have story after story of racism and justice, murder, brutality and bigotry. Black lives do."

Brown said he has heard many stories from his players about not just experiences with prejudice, but their fear.

"When a young guy says he's afraid to get in the car; he's afraid to walk, he's afraid to jog. When a parent tells you they're afraid that their child, they're afraid to let them drive? We're better than that," Brown said.

There will always, of course, be a backlash to a video like this. These are impossibly contentious times in a country grappling with a multitude of issues. For Brown though, any negative blowback is more than worth it.

"Obviously I wouldn't have said it unless I felt the same way," he said. "And even some of the players said you know, you're going to make some people mad. I said, 'you know what? We need to make people listen.'"

"Let's come together as human beings and take action so we can live in a society where all people are treated as equals."