Texas head coach Tom Herman spoke out against the "double standard" some sports fans have when it comes to their support for black athletes.

"We’re going to pack 100,000 people into [Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium] and millions watch on TV that are predominantly white — not all of them certainly, but most of ’em white," Herman said to the Austin American-Statesman. We’re gonna cheer when they score touchdowns, and we’re gonna hug our buddy when they get sacks or an interception. But we gonna let them date our daughter? Are we going to hire them in a position of power in our company? That’s the question I have for America. You can’t have it both ways."

Herman wonders why the respect from some doesn't carry off the field.

“And if you’re going to cheer them and love them for three-and-a-half hours a Saturday in the fall, you better have the same feelings for them off the field, because they’re human beings," Herman said. "They deserve the same amount of respect and human rights that all of us do in this country when we agreed on the social contract to be a member of the United States."

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, on Memorial Day in Minneapolis and the nationwide protests that have followed, Herman says the average fan simply does not and cannot know what it's like to be a black Longhorns athlete.

“Well, one, if you’re white, we can’t [understand)],” Herman said. “I will never know, you will never know, none of us will ever know what it’s like to have that genuine fear. When I make an illegal U-turn and get pulled over, I fear about what the cost of the ticket is going to be. I don’t fear that I’m going to get dragged out of my car and maybe killed because of something I said or did. And that’s real for them."

Herman conducted a three-hour virtual meeting with his team on Monday and said that it was emotional.

"Some guys were rightfully angry and wanted to vent," Herman said. "Some guys were more tempered in their tone and maybe more pragmatic. But, you know, it certainly ran the gamut of not only emotions, but the thoughts and ideas of how do we best unite as a team to create real change."

Herman said that he didn't provide any guidance for his players to express their thoughts on social media other than to be true to yourself.

“I mean, say what’s on your heart," Herman said. “You’re a minority football player at one of the biggest brands in the country. You have a voice. Use it. And you know, I support them in that."

Herman is heading into his fourth season at the helm of his program after two years at Houston.