Whenever NFL coaches are able to return to their practice facilities, host minicamps and training camps, and get ready for the 2020 season, they won’t just be dealing with the effects of a pandemic that continues unabated. They will also have to deal with the internal effects of a country that has once again been torn apart by police violence against people of color. The death of George Floyd, and the subsequent protests around the country? The feelings will not go away by the time it’s time to suit up and run plays.
When those players walk back into their locker rooms, put their personal knick-knacks back in their lockers, and get ready for practices, they will do so in a world that has been inexorably and irrevocably altered — not only by the coronavirus, but also by deadly racism, and the reaction to that deadly racism all over the world. Those players will be on edge, as most people will be around the country. They will be walking back into a league that has seven team owners who donated $1 million to the Presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump. They will be walking back into a league that now admits it erred in the handling of the Colin Kaepernick situation. They will be walking back in with raw feelings based on their own experiences as people of color (over 70% of the NFL’s player population is of color, while there are only four coaches of color for the NFL’s 32 teams.
And it will be up to those coaches, no matter their color or life experience, to speak to their players in ways that make their players feel that their concerns are at least being heard, if not understood on a molecular level.
An important group of prominent quarterbacks — specifically, white quarterbacks — have made their own statements regarding the death of George Floyd. As I wrote last week, to hear from Carson Wentz, Joe Burrow, Andy Dalton, and Trevor Lawrence on this matter is important. When those people who play the most important position in the nation’s most prominent sports speak up, and cannot be dismissed by those who would do so because of the color of their skin, it makes an impact.
Still, we also need to hear from those who came from the communities in question who have experienced these things and can testify from the front lines. We can no longer tell these players to “stick to sports” because what they say may make us uncomfortable.
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman put his feelings very succinctly on social media.
“When will the response be justice?” Sherman asked in a series of Sunday tweets. “Racism has been around forever and too many excuses have been made for it. If you are sitting by watching it and judging the reaction you are part of the problem with what is going on because you allow yourself to overlook the cause.
“Unarmed and Black is not a crime and should not be treated as such. I will not argue or engage in discussion with individuals who cannot understand that basic premise. Basic fairness and justice is all that has been asked for and it has not be given.
“It’s curious the way I’m treated in public when I have a mask on and when I don’t. When I wear a mask I feel the tension that I have felt since i was a child. I can feel the looks I get of [people] who assume I’m a threat. But when the mask comes off and suddenly I’m not a threat.
“My profession nor my education change the fact that I’m a black man in America and to that end I will continue to fight for equality for the ppl that are treated unjust in the country. And if that offends you or makes you uncomfortable then maybe we are starting to make progress.”
To meet such deep and valid concerns with the usual “Hey, let’s go out there and get ’em, boys!” would be to ignore and misuse what has happened in America, and what will happen in America. Now is the time to listen and to speak, and in the case of coaches who are entrusted with the careers of these players, it’s time to understand and to help whenever and however possible.
Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, one of those four coaches of color (along with Anthony Lynn of the Chargers, Mike Tomlin of the Steelers, and Ron Rivera of the Redskins) led the charge last Friday, releasing the following statement:
“I’ve had the privilege of being a part of many different circles that have included some very powerful and influential people of all different races and genders. The events of the last few weeks have brought some of the memories of those conversations back to light. I vividly remember the Colin Kaepernick conversations. ‘Don’t ever disrespect the flag’ was the phrase that I heard over and over again. This idea that players were kneeling in support of social justice was something some people couldn’t wrap their head around. The outrage that I saw in the media and the anger I felt in some of my own private conversations caused me to sever a few long-standing friendships.
“Most recently, I’ve had conversations about incentivizing teams for hiring minorities. Again, there was some outrage in the media and talks that this would cause division amongst coaches, executives and ownership. I bring these situations up because I haven’t seen the same OUTRAGE from people of influence when the conversation turns to Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and most recently George Floyd. Many people who broadcast their opinions on kneeling or on the hiring of minorities don’t seem to have an opinion on the recent murders of these young black men and women. I think many of them QUIETLY say that watching George Floyd plead for help is one of the more horrible things they have seen, but it’s said amongst themselves where no one can hear. Broadcasting THAT opinion clearly is not important enough.
“I lead a group of young men who have the potential to make a real impact in this world. My message to them and anyone else who wants to listen is that honesty, transparency, and empathy go a long way in bringing people together and making change. I hope that the tragedies of the last few weeks will open our hearts and minds to a better way of communicating and hopefully create that change.”
Flores’ statement resonated with Patriots safety Devin McCourty. Flores worked in the New England organization from 2004-2018, starting as a scouting assistant, and working his way up to linebackers coach, and de facto defensive coordinator.
“He holds a position that falls right into that category [of representing the entire NFL],” McCourty said on the “Double Coverage” podcast he hosts with his brother Jason, who plays cornerback for the Patriots. “A position that as players, as people who watch football know: We need more black coaches, we need more black GMs, we need more people in that position. So, to see him be outspoken — and knowing him personally, he’s always been like that — to me was great to see.
“It’s about leading men. It’s about men seeing the important things. We don’t just come to play football. We’re around each other, we mentor each other, we try to pour into each other. So, to see him go out there and make it public and say how he felt I thought was really good.”
Not that Flores needed any additional courage to say what he said, but it is worth mentioning that Chris Grier, the Dolphins’ general manager, is also black. Miami has the only combined coach/GM tandem of color in the league, which is a separate and shameful discussion.
As for Lynn, he spoke with NFL.com’s Jim Trotter about what he’ll say.
NFL teams return to virtual workouts today, but football won’t be the focal point for some. When I asked Chargers coach Anthony Lynn last night if he would discuss the events of the weekend with his players, he said: pic.twitter.com/wAvNrGxMHT
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) June 1, 2020
On Monday, Colts head coach Frank Reich made his own personal statement which turned out to be an ideal example of how coaches should speak to players on the matter — from a team standpoint in evoking the team’s statement, and then saying what he felt.
“Good morning, everybody.
“Injustice. Few things stir the human heart and soul like injustice. When we see it, feel it, experience it, it’s heart-wrenching. It’s not enough for a person who looks like me to say, ‘I’m not racist.’ This kind of talk and thinking lends itself to a posture of neutrality… indifference… and passivity. It’s easy to be silent and do nothing when it doesn’t impact you. This attitude simply doesn’t evoke any conviction about doing what it right and standing up for the inherent dignity and right of all people, no matter the color of their skin. I stand firmly behind the Colts’ statement, and in particular, the phrase that says, ‘We abhor racism.’ Racism is vile, deplorable, detestable. There’s no form of it that is acceptable, and in no way can it be justified.
“Our black community has bore the brunt of this injustice far too long. I believe that I — we — all have a personal responsibility to speak up, and act in ways that build each other up, not tear each other down. I believe that each one of us can make a difference if we’re willing to grow personally, and display the courage necessary for us to take steps of progress in this most important of issues.”
After his statement, Reich spoke of the importance of putting himself out there in support — not only of his players, but of his community. The need to no longer be silent about subjugation. The need to be proactive in saying that such things are anathema to the human experience. It was an emotional and necessary series of things to say that humanized the coach to his players, his team’s fans, and to perhaps anyone else who was listening and wanted to hear and see humanity from a position that usually doesn’t show it at that level.
Perhaps that’s enough for coaches to do at this point, especially white coaches who care deeply about their players, but come from their own substrata of privilege and could never possibly understand what it’s like to travel outside your house every day with the voice in the back of your head saying that today is the day you might succumb to police violence despite your innocence. Perhaps the willingness to say, “I don’t know your experience, but I want to hear it, and I want to help if I can,” is enough. To say to one’s players, “You are heard. You can say what you feel without fear of professional retribution. You are safe here.”
It’s a tough sell after what happened to Colin Kaepernick, and players know that, but it’s important for coaches to say those words right now, and to back them up.
Living in Seattle, and having covered the Seahawks since 2010 — the year Pete Carroll was named the Seahawks’ head coach — I’ve heard from Carroll and from his players how important it is that those players are allowed to say what they want, and forward their own causes. It does not go unnoticed around the league, and it’s one reason Carroll is one of the NFL’s most respected coaches, and why Seattle has been a prime destination for free agents throughout Carroll’s tenure.
However it’s said, that’s what we should all be saying right now — that we are willing to use our various advantages in life to lift up and help those who do not yet share them. And if coaches are willing to say these things, as it appears they are, perhaps it’s one small but important step into a world where we all feel heard and valued for who it is that we are, and what it is that we can offer to the world.
At the very least, it’s the start of a paradigm shift we must undertake if we are to preserve what truly makes America great.