Outside of the fact that the NFL is having a season at all in the age of COVID, the biggest story of the league’s 2020 campaign has been, and will continue to be, a new focus on civil rights and police brutality. Some of this is cosmetic — there’s no other way to phrase — but the optics of pre-game protests could continue to galvanize a nation that continues to travel in increasingly polarized directions.
The 2020 season opener tonight, which features the Texans traveling to Kansas City to face the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, will be no exception.
Plans remain fluid with leaders from both teams involved, including Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Kenny Stills and Michael Thomas.
The NFL — which has extensive social justice messaging planned during Week 1 — has said it is encouraging players to use their voices.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 10, 2020
The difference now from before is that the NFL has come around to these types of protests as a matter of convenience. With players in other leagues opting out of games entirely to protest, especially after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the NFL knows it’s on the verge of losing player games, as well. So, the more the league can be viewed to be on the same side as the players, the more the league believes it will survive this possibility.
(If you think that Roger Goodell and his pals suddenly became “woke” after the police killing of George Floyd, and are authentically encouraging its players to “use their voices,” I have some property on Colin Kaepernick Drive to sell you).
On Monday, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien got a bit more specific about what might happen before the season opener, and how he feels about it.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions as a team, as I know the Chiefs have, too. I believe that players from both teams have spoken to each other about what may or may not take place on Thursday night. I think you have two really good teams. Obviously, Andy [Reid], great football coach and their team, a lot of great veterans. We have a lot of great veterans on our team. When I was asked earlier in the spring, I was asked if my players asked me to take a knee, would I take a knee in support of them and I said I would. We haven’t really gone down that road, but I’ve been very, very vocal as to my support of Black Lives Matter, of our players and their social justice platforms. I think that what’s going on in this country right now has to be fixed. It’s been hundreds of years, but I feel like this is a time where things can really change. Relative to taking a knee or not taking a knee, I’m not sure really that’s what it’s all about. I think that both teams will come to an agreement here probably over the next couple days as to what will take place, and we’ll go from there.”
It’s one more reason the 2020 season will look like no other in the NFL’s history.