The top players in the NFL have come together to call out the league. Guys like Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham and DeAndre Hopkins showed their support for the protesters all across the country in a video that is a little over one-minute long. This stems from the death of George Floyd while in police custody on May 25.
“How many times do we need to ask you to listen to your players? What will it take? For one of us to be murdered by police brutality?” Tyrann Mathieu said in the video. The players then asked “What it will take for one of us to be murder by police brutality? What if I was George Floyd?” They went on to announce the names of the black men and women who have been killed due to police brutality, including Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice.
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— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) June 5, 2020
Once the players called out the names, they asked the league to say: “We, the National Football League, condemn racism, and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit wrong in silencing our players from peacefully protesting. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter.” Adam Schefter of ESPN shared the video and said it’s unclear if the NFL sanctioned the video, according to Fox News. On May 30, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on the protests across the country and said the league feels the “pain” and “frustration” the protesters are currently feeling.
“As current events dramatically underscore, there remains much more to do as a country and as a league,” Goodell said in the statement. “These tragedies inform the NFL’s commitment and our ongoing efforts. There remains an urgent need for action. We recognize the power of our platform in communities and as part of the fabric of American society. We embrace that responsibility and are committed to continuing the important work to address these systemic issues together with our players, clubs and partners.”
It’s unlikely the league will release another statement, but all 32 teams have reacted to the protests in some way, shape, or form. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott recently announced he’s pledging $1 million to fight systemic racism as well as training police officers. The video also comes at the time where Colin Kaepernick is back in the news due to the protests. He has been out of the league since kneeling during the national anthem during the 2016 season.
