Tuesday marked another monumental day for the Jacksonville Jaguars off the field as running back Leonard Fournette organized a protest with teammates and key figures in the city, including mayor Lenny Curry and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Fournette informed the public of the process last week and eventually set the time for 10 a.m. ET, and like the protest his comrades had last Friday, things went fluidly.
#BLM pic.twitter.com/HlxeqlSFqI
— 7⃣ Leonard Fournette (@_fournette) June 9, 2020
To all the professional athletes, please use your platforms to effect change.@_fournette, thank you for setting an example.
All started with a tweet ⤵️ https://t.co/gKQAurSAqa pic.twitter.com/Hw3TFkh2AV
— Tad Dickman (@TDickman89) June 9, 2020
Fournette’s protest comes as many athletes have stepped up to speak for the black community (and minorities in general) after the death of George Floyd, who was a victim of police brutality. In the process of being detained, Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin was seen in a disturbing video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Despite Floyd declaring that he couldn’t breathe several times, Chauvin continued to kneel on his neck and it resulted in his tragic death.
Chauvin and officers Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng, and Tou Thao, who were also on the scene for the detainment, were all charged. Chauvin received second-degree murder (was initially third-degree) and manslaughter charges, while his accomplices received aiding and abetting charges on the counts that Chauvin received.
As previously mentioned, Fournette’s protest marked the second by a Jag representative. Friday, the organization gathered a group of about 300 that included players (present and former), coaches, front office personnel, and more for a march from TIAA Bank Field to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office down the road.
When they arrived at the police precinct, former Jags player-turned-police officer Ernest Wilford, running backs coach Terry Robiskie, and Chris Conley all shared powerful messages about racism and coming together. Conley’s message especially seemed to garner the attention of local officials as a nearby Confederate monument was removed before Fournette’s protest after Conley made mention of it Friday.
LIVE at 11: @Jaguars WR @FlightConley has reignited #Jacksonville's discussions on Confederate monuments. LISTEN ⬇️
While Mayor @lennycurry has promised "policy initiatives & actions…to bring our city together & address racial inequality," it's unclear what that will mean. pic.twitter.com/ibYkCVMsQN
— Russell Colburn (@RussellANjax) June 6, 2020
UPDATE: Mayor Curry says the rest of the city's Confederate monuments will be coming down too, though the timeline for their removal is unclear. https://t.co/Ap09weQVfs
— News4JAX (@wjxt4) June 9, 2020
The teammates who joined Fournette on Tuesday included linebacker Myles Jack, running back Ryquell Armstead, safety Ronnie Harrison, and receivers Keelan Cole and Conley, to name a few. It was one of many showings by NFL athletes which involved the players personally protesting with the public.
Leonard Fournette joined by his teammates after protest march pic.twitter.com/2XycZipqkR
— John Reid (@JohnReid64) June 9, 2020
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