As the nation has a level of awakening with racial-justice protests happening in all 50 states over the murder of George Floyd and the continued occurrences of police brutality, the NFL has understandably taken a lot of flak for their lack of support of peaceful protests over the last several years.
The league essentially blackballed former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick after he started taking a knee as a stance against brutality and racial profiling in 2016, leaving the player out of the league for the last several seasons despite having the talent to still be on an NFL roster. When the league released a statement about the murder of Floyd, several observers noted how it was in direct contrast to a lack of effort they could have been making as one of the pillars of the fabric of America. It seems many of their players felt similarly, including Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott was one of several stars who appeared in an iconic, powerful video released the day of Floyd’s public funeral, chastising the league for failing to acknowledge the danger, stress and struggle Black folks face on a regular basis. They instructed on the response they feel is warranted.
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) June 5, 2020
Featured in the video along with Elliott are Patrick Mahomes, Davante Adams, Jamal Adams, Saquon Barkley, Anthony Barr, Odell Beckham, Stephon Gilmore, DeAndre Hopkins, Eric Kendricks, Jarvis Landry, Marshon Lattimore, Tyrann Mathieu, Patrick Peterson, Sterling Shepard, Michael Thomas, Deshaun Watson and Chase Young.
The NFL’s original public response on May 30, five days after Floyd’s murder, was rightfully met with vitriol over the inaction the players crystalized in the video above.
Shame on you. This is beyond hollow + disingenuous. This is a lie. Your actions show who you are. You’ve done nothing but the exact opposite of what you describe here. Keep Mr. Floyd’s name out of your mouth. Shame on you + the “consultants” of this travesty of an organization.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 31, 2020
When you say urgent need for action you mean like when one of your 32 starting quarterbacks tried to bring attention to the issue YEARS ago, and instead you blackballed him from the league? Hmm… pic.twitter.com/HcpZYQihOA
— Scott A. Nicol (@snicolfritz) May 30, 2020
The league has since released a series of subsequent tweets of support.
This is a time of self-reflection for all – the NFL is no exception. We stand with the black community because Black Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/RtIdcEhj5w
— NFL (@NFL) June 4, 2020
The Dallas Cowboys have still not released any semblance of a statement on the deaths or protests. When players around the league were joining Kaepernick in peaceful protest, taking a knee as a sign of respect to those whose freedoms were routinely trampled upon, team owner Jerry Jones made it very clear the club was not going to allow their players to do the same.
Quarterback Dak Prescott, who received much criticism for his previous stance about kneeling for the anthem, has offered a different view than he had as recently as 2018.
Talking about kneeling during the anthem, Prescott echoed the team’s company line, indicating he did not think it appropriate.
“I never protest. I never protest during the anthem, and I don’t think that’s the time or the venue to do so. The game of football has always brought me such peace, and I think it does the same for a lot of people — a lot of people playing the game, a lot of people watching the game, a lot of people who have any impact of the game — so when you bring such controversy to the stadium, to the field, to the game it takes away. It takes away from that, it takes away from the joy and the love that football brings a lot of people.
“For me, I’m all about making a change and making a difference, and I think this whole kneeling and all of that was just about raising awareness and the fact that we’re still talking about social injustice years later, I think we’ve gotten to that point. I think we’ve proved, we know the social injustice, I’m up for taking the next step whatever the next step may be for action and not just kneeling. I’ve always believed standing up for what I believe in, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
Prescott, who is now embroiled in contract negotiations as a franchise tagged free agent with the Cowboys as the negotiation deadline draws near, recently came out with a different tone.
“I have the utmost respect for those of you with a passion for protecting and serving your communities. When you chose to wear the badge of a police officer, you pledged to PROTECT life and property through the enforcement of our laws and regulations. How can you claim to uphold the law when those within your own ranks don’t abide by it? You need to hold your own accountable! Each of you are as guilty as the men who stood beside Derek Chauvin if you do not stand up against the systemic racism plaguing our police forces nationwide. TAKE ACTION!”
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