Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Tyrann Mathieu has never been known to remain silent on any level. He’s outspoken and a true competitor in every sense of the phrase.
Mathieu was recently featured along with quarterback Patrick Mahomes in a viral social activism video NFL players released last week. During Wednesday’s virtual press conference, Mathieu had plenty to say about the experience. He touched on the video’s origins, working alongside New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas, and the impact on the league’s response to George Floyd’s death.
“When he first reached out to me I thought it was a great idea,” Mathieu said, referring to Thomas. “He actually needed a couple more guys, he was just trying to see who had the most influence and who would be willing to put their name out there. It was kind of good to see a bunch of guys with great influence throughout the NFL be a part of that. I think our social responsibility, I think it goes far beyond the football field. I think we have a true impact in our communities. I think we are able to influence masses of people. For us it’s about owning that and doing it the right way and being conscious that the only way we’re ever going to be able to get any kind of change is if both sides are willing to change. That’s the biggest thing is to fall forward together.”
Mathieu was an All-Pro second-team selection last year in his first season with the Chiefs. He was a vital member of the revitalized defense that helped Kansas City bring home their first Super Bowl trophy in 50 years. His impact beyond the field continues to be felt through community service, and the video that he’s featured in has garnered heroic support that wasn’t necessarily the goal.
“Us as football players we don’t really think like that,” said Mathieu. “We tend to do things whether they have a good or bad effect. I don’t think the intention of the video was to be heroes. I think ultimately, we saw ourselves as the guys to say something. I know for a lot of us it’s been going on for a while, this problem. Most of us would consider this the second time around. The first time around a lot of us didn’t speak up. A lot of us weren’t vocal, for many reasons. I just think right now, collectively, everybody just wants to see everything pushed forward the right way. I think it’s important.”
Mathieu is echoing the same message as Mahomes and the many other players featured in the video raising awareness.
“I think obviously you would want to stop seeing people killed on video. Whether it’s on video or not,” Mathieu said. “You would like to see more people step up, no matter what side of the fence they’re on. I think most importantly like I continue to mention, it’s all about us coming together collectively. Come from different parts of the world, we all come from different spaces in our lives and I think the most important thing to understand is that in order to move forward we’re going to have to love each other, we’re going to have to listen to each other, we’re going to have to begin to understand each other. I just look at the world as such a big place, such a beautiful place and if we’re able to come this far with so many issues, imagine how far we can go if everybody collectively worked together.”
The Chiefs’ offseason has been anything but ordinary for a Super Bowl-winning team. They continue to look on the brighter side of the world and work to create change for a better tomorrow.
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