Sebastian Joseph-Day was a first-year starter for the Rams last season, effectively replacing Ndamukong Suh at nose tackle next to Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers. He played relatively well, recording 44 tackles, 2.0 sacks and five tackles for loss.
He didn’t exactly make a name for himself on the field, and he probably won’t be a starter in 2020 with A’Shawn Robinson’s arrival, but Joseph-Day has quickly become a leader for the Rams. He’s done some commendable community work on his own this offseason, both by helping hospital workers during the pandemic and joining the protests against racism.
On Thursday night, Joseph-Day joined Steve Wyche, Terrell Davis and Miami Gardens police chief Delma Noel-Pratt to discuss police relations with the community and accountability from law enforcement. Wyche asked how Rams players would react to Joseph-Day telling them they need to find ways to work with police and get them to reform, and this was his response.
“To be honest, I think guys would be more than glad to do that right now because at all-time high, there’s a huge lack of communication between obviously certain areas of this country and police,” Joseph-Day said. Like I said prior, what the chief is doing is outstanding, but unfortunately, we do not feel that that’s a consistent thing throughout this country. So just being able to get out there and connect with the police, for them to kind of see the issues that we are having and hopefully bridge the gap between the officers and obviously our community, would be a huge thing for us and be a positive thing for communities, as well.”
Rams COO Kevin Demoff saw the interview and complimented Joseph-Day for his work as a community leader.
Great to see the work of @SJD_51 over the past few months as a community leader https://t.co/KTBhEd3oWx
— Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) June 18, 2020
Joseph-Day thanked Demoff for the kind words, and Demoff told him that the team will be right there with him fighting for justice and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Keep leading with your heart and we will be right there with you #blacklivesmatter https://t.co/VqvAPOn0Sw
— Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) June 18, 2020
Other Rams players have been active on social media during this difficult time, but most importantly, they’ve communicated with each other. Sean McVay held an open forum in place of a regular team meeting a few weeks ago, allowing players to voice their concerns after George Floyd was tragically killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
Jared Goff called it one of the most powerful meetings he’s ever been a part of, and Joseph-Day was likely among the most vocal players during that session. He’s been a leader off the field, even if he hasn’t emerged as a star on the field yet.
It’s great to see Demoff recognizing that, too, because Joseph-Day’s work is commendable.