Gus Malzahn and his Tigers were already dealing with a "challenging week" of nine positive COVID-19 cases and 16 players total held out on the team before news from across the country affected them further.

After the shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers in Kenosha, Wisc. — and the NBA's subsequent, historic boycott — Auburn players were granted some time off by their head coach.

"The shooting in Wisconsin — our players were extremely upset, as they should have been," Malzahn said on a Zoom call with reporters Sunday night. "Our coaches and our staff felt the same way."

Following Blake's shooting last Sunday, NBA players and coaches expressed their disappointment and sadness before and after last Monday's games.

"We keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back," Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said in an emotional, postgame interview.

The Milwaukee Bucks, located 45 minutes from where Blake was shot in Wisconsin, then spearheaded the historic boycott Wednesday, not leaving the locker room prior to their next game against the Orlando Magic. Their act of solidarity spread to the rest of the league and other professional sports, as well, such as the MLB, NFL, WNBA and MLS. The NBA didn't resume action until Saturday.

Back in Auburn on Thursday, the Tigers felt they needed to remove themselves briefly from normal team operations and did not participate in previously scheduled meetings.

"The players, they really decided they didn’t want to attend meetings," Malzahn said. "And I fully support that, along with the staff."

Malzahn followed up Friday with a meeting in which he decided — after the team missed three practices because of COVID-19 issues and did not reconvene on Thursday — Auburn would not practice Saturday, either.

Bruce Pearl's Auburn basketball team also did not practice Thursday in an effort to align itself with the NBA's stance.

Some of Auburn's SEC cohorts, such as the Tennessee, Alabama and LSU football teams, led peaceful protests or marches on their campuses in the past few days, or are planning to early this week.

Following the death of George Floyd in May, the Tigers marched in downtown Auburn.

Last week, linebacker Owen Pappoe and receiver Eli Stove said Auburn players were planning to hold their own meeting to discuss recent racial injustices in America, in hopes of becoming "involved as much as we can" in the community.

Malzahn expressed on Sunday that, as Auburn's preseason camp gets set to resume this week, he and his players will continue to have conversations often about how to use their influence as major college athletes to "make a difference long term."

"Our players and our coaches, we're in this thing together," the eighth-year head coach said. "We're united with our plans moving forward."