Maybe a weekend off from the news is best for everyone? I dunno.

The players protested on Friday, with the support of athletic department and head coach Matt Wells, and will take today off as well. The team will do community projects in East Lubbock. Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams has the details about a 90 minute meeting with some city of Lubbock leaders:

Wells, Tech defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram, Tech President Lawrence Schovanec, Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt and Mayor Dan Pope spoke. So did Lubbock Police Chief Floyd Mitchell; A.J. McCleod from 100 Black Men of West Texas; Carol Sumner, vice president of the Tech Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Black Student Association President Treyvian Bolton.

Giovannetti said Tech players, “just talked about announcing some short-term goals and some long-term goals, as a program, as an athletic department, as a university, to try to effect change not only in our community but beyond our community.

“The football student-athletes had a pretty nice little presentation put together of areas they would like to see improvements made or how they could help and where they could help, and I thought had a very good exchange.

“Police Chief Mitchell was really great with the student-athletes. He talked with his perspective on building relationships. You had people sharing ideas with each other.”

Gionanetti also said that the team was going to release a video on Friday, but Wells wanted more than just talking from the players:

“Coach Wells would tell you, after listening to the team yesterday, he decided to not have practice today to allow further discussions with the team about ideas and plans and actions,” Giovannetti said. “Coach Wells would be the first tell you, he’s not big into committees and task force. He likes actions. So he wanted them to come up with some short-term and long-term goals, and I think the team has done that.”

A lot of you wondered what would be accomplished by the team sitting out a practice. Well, it sounds as if they’re trying to make a positive impact and Wells is leading the way in some respects.