Although he hasn’t had direct conversations about the issue, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur confirmed his team will support players if they choose to peacefully protest social injustice, racial inequality and police brutality during the 2020 season and beyond.
During a 30-minute conference call with reporters on Friday, LaFleur acknowledged he’s now “much more aware” about racial issues and said it was “unfortunate” how teams across the NFL handled the peaceful protests during the national anthem in the past.
“I am definitely looking forward to having those conversations with our players, but my mindset – and I think I can speak for our organization – is we are going to support our players,” LaFleur said. “We are going to support them and what they want to do, provided that it’s peaceful. And we’ll always do that.”
LaFleur said the team has focused heavily on listening to individual experiences and better understanding the struggles of African American players during team meetings since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
He said players told “powerful” stories of “struggles that they have dealt with for years and years and years.”
For LaFleur, who said it was important to “listen” and “be better for them,” the mission became clear: “We’ve all got to fight these injustices together.”
The Packers stepped up their efforts to support players and fight for important societal causes in the last week, producing a player-led video statement – emphasizing “Enough is enough” – and donating $500,000, including $250,000 from team president Mark Murphy and his family, to assist various local causes related to social injustice and racial inequality.
LaFleur’s commitment to supporting protest from players aligns with the NFL’s new stance on the issue. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday the league will “encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest.” Packers receiver Davante Adams was involved in a video from various NFL stars pleading with the NFL to support players as they continue the fight for equality.
“I want us to take action and really try to come up with things that we can do to make a change for the better for everyone in this country,” LaFleur said. “That’s what needs to happen.”
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