Jets running back Frank Gore is no stranger to social and racial injustice in the United States.
Gore, 35, was born in Miami and raised in Coconut Grove, Fla., which is known as one of the toughest neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County. Throughout his childhood, Gore kept his head down, stayed out of trouble and focused on football, starring at Coral Gables High School before ascending to the University of Miami. That did not stop local police from racially profiling him, though.
In a Q&A session with the New York Post’s Steve Serby, Gore offered his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement while recounting a run-in with police as a high school student that resulted in him being held at gunpoint.
“We just need to keep going with it,” Gore said of the Black Lives Matter movement. “Me growing up in a tough neighborhood, I’ve been through some stuff that … and I was a good kid, man. When I was a young kid, I used to have dreads and I used to have golds (teeth). I remember one time police jumped out on me, put a gun to my head and everything, just because where I was at, and how I looked.
With a gun aimed at his head, Gore thought about running away from the police. However, the rising high school junior elected to stay put, comply and hope for the best.
“I just stayed there and had my hands up,” Gore said. “I was scared, man. In my neighborhood, no good areas where we come up from. I did what they told me to. They thought I was gonna run. When I went back to school and I told my coaches, my coaches made me cut my hair. I was scared. My first instinct was about to run.”
Gore is the latest Jets player to speak out against police brutality in America since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derrick Chauvin and numerous other instances of police brutality across the country.
Jamal Adams, Le’Veon Bell, Quincy Enunwa and C.J. Mosley have all been vocal in their pursuit of racial equality in America. Given his own experiences with police, Gore brings a unique and much-needed perspective to the conversation.