NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Releases Video Statement: ‘Without Black Players There Would Be No National Football League . . . We Are Listening, I Am Listening’
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Twelve days after a black man died under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis, the commissioner of America’s most powerful sports league admitted Friday the NFL was wrong for not listening to NFL players who protested about police brutality against blacks and about racial inequality issues .
The NFL released a video of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discussing racial issues in an email sent to reporters at 3:33 p.m. Pacific Time.
Goodell opens the video by saying it’s been a difficult time for this country, “in particular black people in our country.
He went on to offer his condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and “all the families who have endured police brutality.”
“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression if black people,” Goodell followed.
And then, Goodell took it one step further: “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,” Goodell said. “We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter.”
He went on to say, “I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much needed change in this country.”
The NFL could start with “the much needed change” with its own league. There are no black NFL majority owners and only a handful of black coaches and general managers in a league where the vast majority of players are black.
Besides the Goodell/NFL video, the league’s biggest stars also created their own Black Lives Matter video:
Goodell’s video followed tweets by President Donald Trump, who opposed New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees apologizing for his previous opposition to players protesting during the national anthem before NFL games.
But then Brees responded to Trump with this:
It’s difficult to overlook the straight line that connects former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who brought attention to his concerns about racial inequality, systematic racism and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem before games, and the death of Floyd, the 46-year-old man who died Memorial Day under the knee of a Minneapolis officer while three other police officers looked on.
A quarterback who led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2013, Kaepernick played his last game for the 49ers in 2016. Many sports fans — and apparently President Trump — got caught up with Kaepernick’s method of protest rather than understand his message of racism tainting this country.
Kaepernick’s kneeling has now been adopted by many peaceful protesters and even police officers during demonstrations across the land. In fact, the Minneapolis police chief also took a knee Kaepernick-style in solidarity with protesters in the days since Floyd’s death a dozen days ago.
The Las Vegas Raiders also weighed in with this tweet Friday.
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