The Los Angeles Rams are practicing as scheduled on Thursday morning while other teams have decided to cancel their on-field work in wake of the tragic events that have taken place in Kenosha, Wis., in the last few days. It began with Kenosha police shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Then a 17-year-old from Illinois shot three people at a protest in Kenosha, killing two in an apparent act of vigilantism.
The Rams held a team meeting on Wednesday to discuss any actions players might want to take, as it relates to a possible protest or boycott in wake of the Kenosha shootings. Several teams across the NFL canceled practice Thursday, including the Packers, Cardinals and Titans.
“We had a team meeting this morning and it really just broke down to that if anybody had any type suggestions or anything that they want to bring to light or want to do, just to come to coach and discuss it in that way, just make it a team thing, at the end of the day,” Malcolm Brown said. Coach (Sean) McVay opened the floor this morning with a team meeting and let us know that if there’s any type of solution or anything that we want to put forward and do, then just to come to him and do that, and I think that’s a great start for us.”
Troy Hill also spoke out about the meeting held by the Rams Wednesday, saying he’s not sure what he wants teams or the Rams, in particular, to do, but that he wants to unite everyone and try to find a solution for these senseless killings.
“I don’t really have the answers right now. I don’t want to just come on here and just speak on some things,” he said. “But, like we’re having these conversations, these uncomfortable conversations, the next step is maybe try to come together and figure this out together. Together unite and we’ll be strong, but until then, we got to keep on taking these steps day-by-day and when we come with that solution, we got to all buy in to it. That’s kind of my mindset about it and that’s what I think we need.”
No NBA games were played last night as players opted not to take the floor, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. A few MLB games were postponed, as well, while the NHL played its postseason games as scheduled.
McVay is scheduled to speak to the media after today’s practice, and surely he’ll shed some light on the Rams’ stance against social injustice.