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Lonnie Greene, UK's lone Black head coach, sees himself as an educator first

LEXINGTON – Kentucky track and field head coach Lonnie Greene knew he needed to talk to his team about the racial inequalities that have sparked nationwide protests in recent weeks.

Following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbrey, Greene was particularly concerned about how his Black athletes were coping emotionally and physically.

“Once I felt comfortable that they were in a good place or a good space, then I opened it up to the entire team,” Greene said. “I’m not pitting one against the other, but at this point, the stress or the tension was pointed toward people of color.