*The death in Minneapolis of George Floyd at the hands of disgraced former officer Derek Chauvin, has sparked outrage and protests all over the United States, as well as in other parts of the world.
Members of the entertainment and sports communities have been very vocal on the issue of police brutality, social injustice and the need for reform. Messages and videos have been posting furiously since the video of George Floyd’s murder went viral.
NFL Players Demand Action
NFL superstars Odell Beckham Jr., Patrick Mahomes, Ezekial Elliott, Jarvis Landry, Deshaun Watson and others came together to create a video demanding the NFL address, i.e., condemn, racism and admit they were wrong to silence players who protested. The video begins with players saying:
“It’s been 10 days since George Floyd was brutally murdered. 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? What if I was George Floyd?” the players asked, one by one.
The players then go on to say the names of several Blacks who have died at the hands of the police, before saying, “We will not be silenced. We exert our right to peacefully protest. It should not take this long to admit” and then proceed to let the NFL know just what the players want to hear.
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Roger Goodell’s Response
The result? NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell responded with a video of his own. He started by giving his sympathies to the families of the slain victims before falling on his NFL sword, saying the NFL condemns racism, the NFL stands with the players, Black lives matter, admitted the NFL was wrong in the way they handled player protests about police brutality and racism and agreed players have a right to protest. He never specifically mentioned Colin Kaepernick, but we all know the deal. Roger Goodell said all the right things; statements which are a stark contrast to four years ago when Colin Kaepernick was blacklisted.
What’s Next?
So, what’s next? The NFL should stop playing with Colin Kaepernick’s career and give him a job, assuming he still wants one. At a minimum, he should get a legitimate tryout. Roger Goodell has admitted the NFL should not silence players, which is exactly what they did with Colin. If he is sincere, let him put a job for Colin Kaepernick, where his mouth is, so to speak. It’s not like Colin Kaepernick isn’t better than several of the nags occupying QB spots on some of the NFL rosters.
Although the NFL owners should admit there is a problem with racism and commit to actually addressing it, for now I’d settle for them allowing Colin Kaepernick to play the game he loves.
Marilyn Smith is a Los Angeles based writer/reviewer. Contact her via [email protected].
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