49ers' George Kittle supports Iowa players speaking out against coach

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George Kittle is proud of his time as a Iowa Hawkeye.

But his former school is in the news for all the wrong reasons, as the team's strength and conditioning coach, Chris Doyle, was placed on administrative leave Saturday after several former black Iowa players shared stories in which they were mistreated by Doyle.

Kittle, who played at Iowa from 2013 to 2016, weighed in on the decision by Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, and offered his support to his former teammates.

"My heart aches for my Iowa teammates, my brothers, and my friends," Kittle wrote on Twitter. "I want them to know that I stand with them, support them, and applaud them for having the courage to speak up and start this difficult conversation."

Two of Kittle's former teammates, James Daniels and Emmanuel Rugamba, shared their encounters with Doyle on Twitter on Friday.

Daniels also shared stories from other former Iowa players that were sent to him. Other former Hawkeyes replied to Daniels with their stories.

[RELATED: Kittle signs jersey for Iowa coach]

According to ESPN, Doyle has been with Iowa for the last 21 years, and is the highest paid strength and conditioning coach in college football.

The issues at Iowa come to light as nationwide protests occur in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota nearly two weeks ago.

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