NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement today saying the league believes in Black Lives Matter, and that they got the player protests wrong.
Over the past week several players, coaches, owners, and executives have come out with heartfelt reactions to everything that is going on in the country today. America is reeling after the loss of innocent lives at the hands of those we have placed in authority. And they just haven’t seemed to stop.
Since George Floyd lost his life while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department the country has been in protest. Demanding we do something about the social injustices the black community has had to endure.
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QB Colin Kaepernick knelt in protest against police brutality and racism during the 4 years ago. The NFL made those go away.
The league had never made it mandatory for players to stand during the anthem, but in 2019, that changed. Thanks to a backlash from some fans, and the president, the NFL decided they would place a ban on kneeling.
Here is Goodell’s statement:
“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people,” Goodell said. “We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest.
“We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter. I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country. Without black players, there would be no National Football League. And the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff.”
Roger Goodell’s statement comes on the heels of Saints QB Drew Brees apologizing for comments he made about the protests on Wednesday. Yet, one thing was curiously missing from the statement; Colin Kaepernick.
Maybe Goodell just isn’t ready to go that far. Maybe he feels like it was automatic. Or maybe he just doesn’t really feel that bad about the league’s reaction at the time. Whatever the reason, to many, it muddles the statement, but, the league needed to make one nonetheless.
