Another flashpoint in the federal immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota occurred roughly two hours before the Gophers men’s basketball team tipped off against Nebraska on Saturday.
Gophers coach Niko Medved was preparing for the Big Ten game and said he had not seen news about the 37-year-old man who was shot and killed by agents in Minneapolis.
“First off, I had not heard that,” Medved said after a 76-57 loss to No. 7 Nebraska at Williams Arena. “For me, I’m not in politics. I think all of it is just terrible. The violence. The division. It’s just really disappointing. I’m just really disappointed in all of it.
“You wish you could influence it more, but you know you really can’t in our position. But that is really awful to hear. Again, I don’t know enough about (Saturday’s incident) to comment on it. All of it just really, really breaks your heart.”
Medved was asked if he talked to the team about the overall situation.
“I talk to guys individually,” he said. “I think we all just care so deeply about people and each other. I think that is always the message to these guys. Again, all of it is heartbreaking. Sometimes for us, too, you play a game and you want to kind of get away for a second and focus on what you are doing. All of it really just sucks.”
The Gophers’ athletics department has been quiet on the subject and are taking its cues from the university as a whole and President Rebecca Cunningham.
The Pioneer Press is gathering how leaders of local sports teams are reacting to the news.
The Timberwolves game against Golden State was postponed from Saturday night to Sunday and the TwinsFest ended an hour early Saturday evening.
On Friday, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve participated with tens of thousands in massive protests in Minneapolis, which ended inside the Lynx home arena, Target Center.
She made her stance clear with a post on X: “This my city. #ICEOUT.”
Twins executive chair Tom Pohlad was asked if the ball club considered shutting down TwinsFest while hundreds of businesses closed Friday for a general strike.
“Listen, no matter what you think, we all see what is going on in our community and we understand what we’ve all been through in the last five years. It’s heartbreaking,” Pohlad said. “Is there an argument to be made to cancel TwinsFest? Sure. But I think the Twins are about bringing people together and the community together. It’s for a good cause. The Twins community fund does great things. … I think it was the right thing to move forward with the event.”
Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez, a Venezuelan, was asked Friday if he was worried about ICE.
“Yeah, a little bit,” he told reporters as the Twins kicked off TwinsFest at Target Field. “Obviously, because I’m a Minnesota Twin, I get a lot of Minnesota things on my social media, which is the biggest outlet to be on top of things. I know it’s been a little crazy. I did have family members say be careful, don’t be somewhere you shouldn’t be. I try to just pay attention to that, it feels like, if it really shows up. But I am worried right now some people may be encountering bad situations with them.”
Minnesota United, which has the most multi-ethnic roster in the Twin Cities, had players carrying their immigration paperwork when preseason training started in early January in Blaine. They took a previously scheduled trip to Irvine, Calif., for training sessions from Jan. 15 to Sunday.
Loons chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad was asked about the situation on Jan. 13.
“It’s a real thing. Staff live it. Players live it,” he said. “We addressed the players on (Jan. 12). The league (MLS) has been great in reaching out and giving the support. … The whole club is kind of behind each other, not just the players. I think, first and foremost, it’s a really tough period for people that are really being affected. We’re doing our best to support each other and the players.”
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