DALLAS — When Justis Nelson arrived at Big 12 Media Days on Monday, the Texas Tech wide receiver was aware of his surroundings.
It was less than half-mile away from the Omni Dallas where five police officers were killed and nine others injured during an ambush-style shooting by a gunman following what had been a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest.
Those events — and the police shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota as well as the recent killing of three Baton Rouge, La., police officers — were on the minds of plenty of players and coaches at last week's event.