'Boys in Blue' shows aftermath of George Floyd on North High School football team
Head coach Charles Adams III talks to his team after a victory Sept. 2 during the first North High School football game since 15-year-old Deshaun Hill was killed in February.
Nicole Neri for MPR News | 2022
A new documentary series is putting a national spotlight on a Minneapolis football team. The series “Boys in Blue,” premieres on Friday, Jan. 6 on Showtime.
The series follows the North High School football team during the 2021 season. Charles Adams III is coach of the Polars and he’s featured prominently in the documentary. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with him about the team.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: A new documentary series is putting a national spotlight on a Minneapolis football team. The series Boys in Blue, premieres this Friday, January the 6th on Showtime. The series follows the North High School football team during the 2021 season.
[AUDIO PLAYBACK]
- Go!
- I'm a police officer for North Minneapolis and Coach for the North High High School.
- Go!
- Kind of weird, but I'm building bonds with police.
- Go!
- I love coaching North, but it's definitely a difficult time right now.
- Go!
- The presence of police creates irreparable harm.
- This council is going to dismantle this police department.
- We've got to be ready to fight.
- Before you judge anything about me, get to know me.
[END PLAYBACK]
CATHY WURZER: Charles Adams III is the coach of the North High Polars, and he's featured prominently in the documentary. He's on the line with us right now. Say, welcome to the program, coach. How are you?
CHARLES ADAMS: I'm good, glad to-- glad to be here. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
CATHY WURZER: Nice to hear your voice again. I understand the concept for this documentary is based off of a 2020 New York Times column about the team, which is a team of mostly Black student athletes coached by members of the Minneapolis Police Department. You are a former officer, right?
CHARLES ADAMS: Yes, correct. I was with the Minneapolis Police Department for 20 years. And then now currently, I am the director of team security for the Minnesota Twins.
CATHY WURZER: So when this idea of a documentary came up, what did you think?
CHARLES ADAMS: You know, it's kind of funny, because when I initially got the email, I didn't really realize it was Peter Berg. And then when I got on the Zoom call and I seen his face, I'm like holy smokes, like, everybody knows who Peter Berg is, especially if you're a football guy. So it kind of blew me away. But I think it was a great opportunity for people to see, like, the grind of our football program and just see what the challenges that the kids face but still being able to put out there a good product on the football field.
CATHY WURZER: Now, for folks who are not familiar with Peter Berg, can you tell us who he is?
CHARLES ADAMS: Well, for the football fans, Peter Berg, anybody that has ever watched Friday Night Lights, [CHUCKLES] he's a guy that's made that. So a lot of our kids reference a lot of the characters in Friday Night Lights, specifically, BoobieM Miles. So anybody that's a football fan that loves movies like that, Peter Berg was the guy that made that happen.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah, and he is a big deal. So I would think that when you got that email, that means that the actual piece, the story was going to be a good one. What did they focus on specifically, relationships between coaches and the kids, how the school views the team, the community views the team?
CHARLES ADAMS: Yeah, you know, it's a mixture of that. Definitely how important it is for the relationship with the kids and the coaches but also the unique situation of-- for the most part, we have multiple police officers that are coaches on the staff. I'm no longer a police officer, but when I-- obviously, when I started, being the head coach, I was a police officer. And that kind of drew other police officers in the city and from other departments wanted to coach on the staff as well and be a part of the community. So it really mainly focuses on our relationships but also follows the kids in their day-to-day lives and just kind of individual stories of each kid that was in the program.
CATHY WURZER: What keeps you-- of course, your story is very interesting-- what keeps you coming back to coach?
CHARLES ADAMS: You know, it's just, it's just the drive of being successful and being from this community. I graduated from North High, so I played football just like those kids did. My mother and my father went to North High and my uncles. So it's prideful, like, literally prideful coaching and being successful in that community and with that school.
CATHY WURZER: For folks who might remember this terribly sad story, one of your athletes, Deshaun Hill, was shot and killed last February, and he was just only 15 years old. Because you coach these kids, I bet they feel like your own kids. How have you-- how has the team-- how has the team responded? How have they been since Deshaun's death. And was his death included in the documentary?
CHARLES ADAMS: Yeah. I'm going to let the listeners get an opportunity to tune in and see how things play out. But what I will say is that Deshaun Hill was definitely a focal point of the documentary. And obviously, tragedy hit. And obviously, we did not know that something like that would happen. So it did have to take a turn to kind of focus in on the aftermath of him being murdered.
But you will definitely get a opportunity to see how great of a kid, not just him but all of our kids are and our families. And it just sheds light on just a lot of the stereotypes that people may have. But then, kind of just see firsthand how these kids put things together.
CATHY WURZER: So you've got a chance to see the documentary. Do you think the filmmakers got it right?
CHARLES ADAMS: Oh, yeah, 100%. I mean, like, man, when I first got a viewing of it, and it was probably early this summer, and things weren't all the way put together, Pete Berg said something to me that it really stuck. And he said, this is probably one of the best things he's ever done. And I'm, like, come on, Pete. Like, really? He's, like, no, like, seriously. I think this is some of my best work.
After I've seen it, I was like, oh, huh, this is pretty good. It's very powerful, emotional for us, obviously, just because we're seeing things lead up to our tragedy. But it definitely is-- I think people will really enjoy it.
CATHY WURZER: What do you hope folks take away from seeing the story of the Polars?
CHARLES ADAMS: Well, the biggest thing is just genuine and just being true. And I know that we talk about family and being there for one another. I think it shows that. But it shows how genuine we are as people trying to make sure that these young men succeed. And it's raw, it's with emotion. It's not-- it's uncut. And sometimes, we don't hold back our opinions. And I think it's just true genuine perspective of how things are day to day on the North side.
CATHY WURZER: A good friend of mine is the Head Coach at Minneapolis South. And we were talking, in the days after the murder of George Floyd, about how hard it was to hold his team together. Because, of course, that happened right in the backyard there at South, practically. How did you hold your team together in the aftermath of George Floyd, of course, given that you're a former officer, and was that reflected in the movie?
CHARLES ADAMS: Yeah, that is. It was reflected in the movie and really, just started from the New York Times with Kurt Streeter. When you talk about post-traumatic stress, you know, I still kind of get-- kind of get emotional about just thinking about that time. Just because I know I have put my family through a lot during that time just because of my mindset and just being afraid, having them being afraid.
And, you know, my wife and kids were restless and didn't know if I would return home and just a lot of emotions with that night. But they kind of do-- we do talk about that. And it-- I mean, but that's the reality. I mean, that's the reality of how things happened. It affected all of us. And I make it known, you know, my displeasure of not being an SRO anymore but using these new opportunities to kind of shed positive light.
CATHY WURZER: SRO meeting a School Resource Officer.
CHARLES ADAMS: Correct, school resource officer.
CATHY WURZER: Mm-hmm. Say, before you go, about a minute left here. This is going to debut on Friday. Has the whole team seen the movie? Are you get together to watch?
CHARLES ADAMS: So we actually were going to get together today to preview all four episodes to the team. I know we did a staff-- We did it for the staff, school staff on Monday just so that they can be prepared emotionally for the kids just ahead of before they see it. But I think we're going to postpone that til tomorrow because due to the weather. But kids are-- they want to see it. They're anxious, but, you know, they're worried, though, because it's going to be a lot of stuff that they see that is going to probably bring back some things that they don't like.
CATHY WURZER: But generally speaking, you think that this is a good documentary.
CHARLES ADAMS: Absolutely. I think it's a-- I think it's a great opportunity for the world to see great young men in this Northside community. And I think it's a good perspective on how important it is to build the relationship between the police and community.
CATHY WURZER: All right. Coach, I appreciate your time. Thank you so very much.
CHARLES ADAMS: Thank you. My pleasure, appreciate you.
CATHY WURZER: I appreciate you as well. We've been talking to Charles Adams III. He's the coach of the Minneapolis North Polars. He is, of course, featured prominently in this documentary that airs this Friday. It's called Boys in Blue. It's on Showtime.
[AUDIO PLAYBACK]
- Go!
- I'm a police officer for North Minneapolis and Coach for the North High High School.
- Go!
- Kind of weird, but I'm building bonds with police.
- Go!
- I love coaching North, but it's definitely a difficult time right now.
- Go!
- The presence of police creates irreparable harm.
- This council is going to dismantle this police department.
- We've got to be ready to fight.
- Before you judge anything about me, get to know me.
[END PLAYBACK]
CATHY WURZER: Charles Adams III is the coach of the North High Polars, and he's featured prominently in the documentary. He's on the line with us right now. Say, welcome to the program, coach. How are you?
CHARLES ADAMS: I'm good, glad to-- glad to be here. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
CATHY WURZER: Nice to hear your voice again. I understand the concept for this documentary is based off of a 2020 New York Times column about the team, which is a team of mostly Black student athletes coached by members of the Minneapolis Police Department. You are a former officer, right?
CHARLES ADAMS: Yes, correct. I was with the Minneapolis Police Department for 20 years. And then now currently, I am the director of team security for the Minnesota Twins.
CATHY WURZER: So when this idea of a documentary came up, what did you think?
CHARLES ADAMS: You know, it's kind of funny, because when I initially got the email, I didn't really realize it was Peter Berg. And then when I got on the Zoom call and I seen his face, I'm like holy smokes, like, everybody knows who Peter Berg is, especially if you're a football guy. So it kind of blew me away. But I think it was a great opportunity for people to see, like, the grind of our football program and just see what the challenges that the kids face but still being able to put out there a good product on the football field.
CATHY WURZER: Now, for folks who are not familiar with Peter Berg, can you tell us who he is?
CHARLES ADAMS: Well, for the football fans, Peter Berg, anybody that has ever watched Friday Night Lights, [CHUCKLES] he's a guy that's made that. So a lot of our kids reference a lot of the characters in Friday Night Lights, specifically, BoobieM Miles. So anybody that's a football fan that loves movies like that, Peter Berg was the guy that made that happen.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah, and he is a big deal. So I would think that when you got that email, that means that the actual piece, the story was going to be a good one. What did they focus on specifically, relationships between coaches and the kids, how the school views the team, the community views the team?
CHARLES ADAMS: Yeah, you know, it's a mixture of that. Definitely how important it is for the relationship with the kids and the coaches but also the unique situation of-- for the most part, we have multiple police officers that are coaches on the staff. I'm no longer a police officer, but when I-- obviously, when I started, being the head coach, I was a police officer. And that kind of drew other police officers in the city and from other departments wanted to coach on the staff as well and be a part of the community. So it really mainly focuses on our relationships but also follows the kids in their day-to-day lives and just kind of individual stories of each kid that was in the program.
CATHY WURZER: What keeps you-- of course, your story is very interesting-- what keeps you coming back to coach?
CHARLES ADAMS: You know, it's just, it's just the drive of being successful and being from this community. I graduated from North High, so I played football just like those kids did. My mother and my father went to North High and my uncles. So it's prideful, like, literally prideful coaching and being successful in that community and with that school.
CATHY WURZER: For folks who might remember this terribly sad story, one of your athletes, Deshaun Hill, was shot and killed last February, and he was just only 15 years old. Because you coach these kids, I bet they feel like your own kids. How have you-- how has the team-- how has the team responded? How have they been since Deshaun's death. And was his death included in the documentary?
CHARLES ADAMS: Yeah. I'm going to let the listeners get an opportunity to tune in and see how things play out. But what I will say is that Deshaun Hill was definitely a focal point of the documentary. And obviously, tragedy hit. And obviously, we did not know that something like that would happen. So it did have to take a turn to kind of focus in on the aftermath of him being murdered.
But you will definitely get a opportunity to see how great of a kid, not just him but all of our kids are and our families. And it just sheds light on just a lot of the stereotypes that people may have. But then, kind of just see firsthand how these kids put things together.
CATHY WURZER: So you've got a chance to see the documentary. Do you think the filmmakers got it right?
CHARLES ADAMS: Oh, yeah, 100%. I mean, like, man, when I first got a viewing of it, and it was probably early this summer, and things weren't all the way put together, Pete Berg said something to me that it really stuck. And he said, this is probably one of the best things he's ever done. And I'm, like, come on, Pete. Like, really? He's, like, no, like, seriously. I think this is some of my best work.
After I've seen it, I was like, oh, huh, this is pretty good. It's very powerful, emotional for us, obviously, just because we're seeing things lead up to our tragedy. But it definitely is-- I think people will really enjoy it.
CATHY WURZER: What do you hope folks take away from seeing the story of the Polars?
CHARLES ADAMS: Well, the biggest thing is just genuine and just being true. And I know that we talk about family and being there for one another. I think it shows that. But it shows how genuine we are as people trying to make sure that these young men succeed. And it's raw, it's with emotion. It's not-- it's uncut. And sometimes, we don't hold back our opinions. And I think it's just true genuine perspective of how things are day to day on the North side.
CATHY WURZER: A good friend of mine is the Head Coach at Minneapolis South. And we were talking, in the days after the murder of George Floyd, about how hard it was to hold his team together. Because, of course, that happened right in the backyard there at South, practically. How did you hold your team together in the aftermath of George Floyd, of course, given that you're a former officer, and was that reflected in the movie?
CHARLES ADAMS: Yeah, that is. It was reflected in the movie and really, just started from the New York Times with Kurt Streeter. When you talk about post-traumatic stress, you know, I still kind of get-- kind of get emotional about just thinking about that time. Just because I know I have put my family through a lot during that time just because of my mindset and just being afraid, having them being afraid.
And, you know, my wife and kids were restless and didn't know if I would return home and just a lot of emotions with that night. But they kind of do-- we do talk about that. And it-- I mean, but that's the reality. I mean, that's the reality of how things happened. It affected all of us. And I make it known, you know, my displeasure of not being an SRO anymore but using these new opportunities to kind of shed positive light.
CATHY WURZER: SRO meeting a School Resource Officer.
CHARLES ADAMS: Correct, school resource officer.
CATHY WURZER: Mm-hmm. Say, before you go, about a minute left here. This is going to debut on Friday. Has the whole team seen the movie? Are you get together to watch?
CHARLES ADAMS: So we actually were going to get together today to preview all four episodes to the team. I know we did a staff-- We did it for the staff, school staff on Monday just so that they can be prepared emotionally for the kids just ahead of before they see it. But I think we're going to postpone that til tomorrow because due to the weather. But kids are-- they want to see it. They're anxious, but, you know, they're worried, though, because it's going to be a lot of stuff that they see that is going to probably bring back some things that they don't like.
CATHY WURZER: But generally speaking, you think that this is a good documentary.
CHARLES ADAMS: Absolutely. I think it's a-- I think it's a great opportunity for the world to see great young men in this Northside community. And I think it's a good perspective on how important it is to build the relationship between the police and community.
CATHY WURZER: All right. Coach, I appreciate your time. Thank you so very much.
CHARLES ADAMS: Thank you. My pleasure, appreciate you.
CATHY WURZER: I appreciate you as well. We've been talking to Charles Adams III. He's the coach of the Minneapolis North Polars. He is, of course, featured prominently in this documentary that airs this Friday. It's called Boys in Blue. It's on Showtime.
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