The Chicago Bears kicked off their organized team activities (OTAs) in a very different way than years’ past. And no, it wasn’t just because of the virtual format.
The senseless, brutal murder of George Floyd have sparked protests and outrage across the nation, and it’s a reminder that some things are bigger than sports.
Which is something Bears head coach Matt Nagy understands.
“Football is extremely secondary,” Nagy told reporters Wednesday. “We have to get life right.”
#Bears coach Matt Nagy: "Football is extremely secondary. We have to get life right."
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) June 3, 2020
Nagy put football aside and spent the entirety of the Bears’ two-hour meeting on Monday listening and supporting his players amid the social injustices that continue to ravage our world.
“Talking to some of the guys helped me decide on Monday into really spending our allotted two hours [of our team meeting] just listening and to let our players know how much I and we support them,” Nagy said. “It was probably the most powerful two hour meeting I have ever been in and will ever be in.”
Nagy said that more than 40 players spoke during Monday’s meeting, where they shared their feelings and stories.
“There was a lot of anger, there was a lot of fear in the conversations,” Nagy said. “There was disgust, there was sadness, there was compassion, hurt… There was a vulnerability in people’s stories.”
Nagy told reporters that black players were interested in what white players thought of what was happening, and that there was a lot of love and compassion. One of the themes Nagy continues to stress is the power of love, which was felt following the meeting.
Matt Nagy says the Black players on the Bears were very interested in the opinions of the white players. Nagy says he felt a lot of love in the meeting on Monday. Nagy stressed "love". "The significance of love. That word does not get used enough, love."
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) June 3, 2020
The meeting was met with a ton of appreciation by players involved, and some of them shared their thoughts on Twitter.
The meeting I just had with my team 🙏🏽I love them boys already. I just feel the team love, I’m just happy to be apart of the organization. Y’all stay safe 🙏🏽 🐻 ⬇️
— LaCale (@LaCaleLondon44) June 1, 2020
I was apart of a very Healthy and Productive conversation this morning with my brothers! I've been blessed with a platform and I'm going to use it to my best ability to help bring Change! WE IN THIS TOGETHER 🙏🏾
— Darion Clark (@darionclark23) June 1, 2020
Just had an amazing conversation with my brothers from the @ChicagoBears 🙏🏽
— T r e v (@trevisgipson) June 1, 2020
I LOVE MY PEOPLE BUT GUESS WHAT I LOVE ALL PEOPLE WHO LOVE BACK !!!
— David Montgomery (@MontgomerDavid) June 1, 2020
I LOVE MY PEOPLE BUT GUESS WHAT I LOVE ALL PEOPLE WHO LOVE BACK !!!
— David Montgomery (@MontgomerDavid) June 1, 2020
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