The Jets were among the NFL teams that opted against practicing Thursday in response to the weekend shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by Kenosha, Wisconsin police.
The Jets have yet to publically state a reason for canceling practice, but the decision follows Wednesday’s postponement of all NBA and WNBA games, as well as a few MLB games, as a form of protesting the Blake shooting and racial and social injustice in the United States. The Indianapolis Colts and Washington Football Team were among the teams that also canceled practice, while the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears delayed their practices to discuss social change and issues, per ESPN.
The Jets’ field was set up for practice, which usually begins at 9:20 a.m., according to ESPN, but the canceled session was confirmed at 9:24 a.m.
The Jets have been discussing racial and social issues over the past two days. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, CEO and acting owner Christopher Johnson spoke during a virtual team meeting on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Bradley McDougald and Jamison Crowder shared their hopes for potential action with reporters, as did Marcus Maye earlier in the week.
“Just see me as a human,” Crowder said. “It’s tough, man, but I’m good. We’re trying to come up with a plan as a receiver group and as a team to bring awareness and just do something in the community to try and bring people together. I’m good.”
The Jets have publically supported causes in the name of racial and social justice since Johnson took over the team. However, the CEO’s brother and team owner, Woody Johnson, was recently accused of making racist and sexist remarks while serving as the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom. Both Johnsons denied those allegations — Christopher addressed the situation with the team — but a State Department report found otherwise.