During the offseason, Anthony Harris still makes the hour drive north on Interstate 64 from his home in Richmond, Va. to Charlottesville, Va., where he attended the University of Virginia.
So the 25-year-old Vikings safety said it was "shocking" to hear a white nationalist rally was held Saturday in his college town and had turned violent. Heather D. Heyer, a counterprotester, was killed and several injured when a car plowed into a group protesting the rally.
"I kind of was checking out social media a little bit and talking with some of the players I know there," Harris said. "It's just sad, you know. I just wish everybody could come together in solidarity and be able to live in peace with one another."
Harris said he still keeps in touch with current and former UVA football players, members of the university administration and local Charlottesville business owners.
"Just nothing like they've ever seen before," Harris said. "Charlottesville is a small college town. The majority of people that live there have lived there for a very long time. The students that come there are really good people from my experiences over time. To have stuff going on like this in such a large scale, gaining national attention, I think it's a big shocker to the community and the people there."
Harris decried the violence, which sparked anti-racism protests around the country.
"It brings an awareness that people need to realize things like this are still relevant," Harris said. "We can only move forward if we're aware and try to live better."
