Ohio State‘s Seth Towns, a graduate transfer from Harvard, was detained by local police officers at a protest Friday in Columbus, Ohio, the school confirmed.
The protest came four days after George Floyd died while in police custody in Minneapolis.
“Say his name!” Towns repeats on a video posted by Eleven Warriors as officers put his hands behind his back. “Say his name!”
Protesters responded by saying, “George Floyd!” Someone in the crowd shouted, “He wasn’t touching anybody,” as officers detained Towns. Another person yelled, “That is a Harvard graduate right there!”
Footage of Seth Towns in police custody earlier Friday at the scene of a protest in Columbus. Towns, an incoming Ohio State basketball transfer, graduated from Harvard Thursday.
Towns is no longer in police custody and is safe at home, according to a source. pic.twitter.com/kFptHH63BN
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) May 30, 2020
Towns did not respond to ESPN’s request for comment. He was detained briefly and was not arrested, Ohio State spokesman Dan Wallenberg said.
There have been protests around the country since Floyd’s death. Floyd, who was black, died after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on his neck for several minutes. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Friday.
Chauvin and three other officers who were involved in the incident, including two who helped to hold Floyd down, were fired earlier this week.
Towns graduated from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in sociology on Thursday. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 16.0 points and 5.7 rebounds last season before announcing his transfer to Ohio State, where he’ll be immediately eligible next season.
On Thursday, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann tweeted he was “shocked and saddened by the senseless violence to unarmed and defenseless black men.”
Holtmann told ESPN he spoke with Towns after the incident on Friday night.
“I did talk to Seth last night,” Holtmann said. “He’s back at his apartment. We had a great conversation.”
