The Oregon Ducks notched a dominant victory over the No. 13 Utah Utes this weekend. But during his postgame press conference, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning wanted to talk about something far more important than the game.
On Saturday afternoon, Dan Lanning used his postgame press conference to speak out against gun violence following the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, that killed 18 people.
“I know that means a lot to our players. It certainly means something to me when I send my three kids to school and expect to see them come home. I think enough is enough at some point,” Lanning said.
Watch the video and the message from Oregon head coach @CoachDanLanning https://t.co/kyV5hw21Co pic.twitter.com/y9r2OSlvs7
— Matt Prehm (@MattPrehm) October 29, 2023
“At some point, we have to look at ourselves and take a hard look in the mirror and figure out where can we support the people that are having problems with mental health in this country, where can we support making sure that people that shouldn’t have weapons don’t have weapons and support our law enforcement to where they can help handle situations when situations arise.
“I’m not trying to be political, but I do care about human life, and I do care about human decency. And I’m hoping that, at some point, we can take a stand and do something about it.”
It’s a pretty clear statement from Lanning, and it led to a lot of reactions on social media.
Can anyone honestly disagree with what Coach Lanning said here? Common sense.
https://t.co/O3TKSxadF9
— Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) October 29, 2023
Absolutely love this message https://t.co/zG0B1Q65AE
— 𝖠𝗇𝖽𝗋𝖺𝖾 (@TweetsByDrae) October 29, 2023
Hey, this is cool. Really. But also, please don’t sit there and say it’s not political. It 100% is. And you know it is. And you know what needs to happen for it to get addressed. https://t.co/7UvIyLgn53
— Ken (@kenw_ia) October 29, 2023
it comes from a good place but Dan, you can’t flat out say “I’m not talking about gun control.” If you’re not, you should be. That’s the entirety of the problem. https://t.co/bpSIXj5uPD
— hawkize (@stillnothawkize) October 29, 2023
Thank you coach. Common sense is a lost art in our society. You have my respect! https://t.co/w6xw3IHB1X
— Blake Baratz (@blakebaratz) October 29, 2023
It's amazing that we're in a place where he has to reiterate multiple times that he's not being political while speaking out about not wanting people to die. America in a nutshell https://t.co/jDuVVD9oOK
— Jon Kates (@Kates2920) October 29, 2023
It’s clear that the United States has a gun violence problem and Lanning wants that problem fixed.
