In May, Urban Meyer oversaw a week-long “Patriot Week” to instill in his Ohio State football players an appreciation of the responsibility to be active, engaged citizens. It was part of Meyer’s “Real Life” program, which seeks to ensure that players think and plan for life beyond football. That message hit home after the tragic events of this week — the videotaped shootings by police of African-Americans in Louisiana and Minnesota, followed by the slaying of five Dallas police officers. Several current and former Buckeyes weighed in on Twitter with impassioned messages of fear, anger and even hope. “I really wish I could say #AllLivesMatter but time after time I’m proven that me as a black man doesn’t. How you think I’m suppose to feel?” junior defensive end Jalyn Holmes tweeted on Thursday, before the Dallas shootings. Freshman offensive lineman Branden Bowen posted “Another senseless killing. #FalconHeights” after Philando Castile was shot on Wednesday in suburban St. Paul, Minnesota. “I really don’t get how people can be justifying these deaths,” he added. The deaths particularly resonated with some of the players because of their own experiences. Former Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Bennett, a second-year player for the Jacksonville Jaguars, recalled being 10 years old and going to the library to check out books. A woman gave him a suspicious look in the parking lot when she noticed his stuffed backpack. On his walk home, Bennett said, a policeman stopped him…
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