Tag: Bears social justice committee

Akiem Hicks: There was a ‘level of healing’ with Bears’ team meeting

Bears DT Akiem Hicks didn’t think anything positive was going to come out of Monday’s team meeting. He left feeling completely different.

Akiem Hicks has garnered a reputation for being a monster on the football field. He’s also someone that’s not afraid to speak his mind off the field.

When Hicks met with the media on Wednesday, he was asked about Monday’s two-hour meeting that kicked off organized team activities. He admitted that he “didn’t think anything positive was going to come from” the meeting, believing it was an attempt to control a specific message.

“It was the complete opposite,” Hicks said. “It was totally different.”

“As a team, there was a level of healing involved in that call, and a moment of just us coming together,” Hicks said.

Bears coach Matt Nagy chose to put football on the back-burner Monday and discuss the social injustice happening in this country following another needless murder of a black man. Nagy spent the entire two-hour meeting listening and supporting his players.

“Talking to some of the guys helped me decide on Monday into really spending our allotted two hours [of our team meeting] just listening and to let our players know how much I and we support them,” Nagy said. “It was probably the most powerful two hour meeting I have ever been in and will ever be in.”

Nagy also mentioned that black players were interested in their white teammates’ opinions of what was happening, and that there was compassion and understanding. Hicks echoed Nagy’s sentiment.

“I don’t put any extra weight on anyone… I’m not gonna push anybody in any direction… What I will say about our team is we do a good job, I think, of stopping the separation and keeping guys together.”

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Bears chairman George McCaskey releases statement on George Floyd’s death

Bears chairman George H. McCaskey released a statement Monday in response to George Floyd’s death and the protests happening in Chicago.

Chicago Bears chairman George H. McCaskey released a statement Monday in response to the tragic murder of George Floyd and the protests happening around the country, including in Chicago.

McCaskey noted that there was an internal discussion with players on Monday, which many have voiced their thoughts about on social media. The Bears were one of the first NFL teams to create a player-led social justice committee, which serves the city of Chicago. And McCaskey noted the importance of that social justice committee now more than ever.

For McCaskey and the Bears, the goal is to be “an active participant in change.”

Here’s McCaskey’s full statement:

A week ago another unarmed African-American man died at the hands of a white police officer. We are witnessing the anger and frustration play out in protests across the nation, including Chicago. We must do more than wring our hands and hope it doesn’t happen again. As an organization, we have addressed it internally by offering unconditional support to our family of staff, coaches and players, and today Ryan Pace and Coach Nagy spent the allotted two hours of team meeting time listening to and healing together with our players and the coaching staff. Through our voice, our actions and our resources, it is our obligation to lead. We will continue to work with our player-led social justice committee to provide funding and exposure to local organizations dedicated to empowering communities that have been oppressed for far too long. We’re proud to support organizations like BUILD Chicago, I Grow Chicago, My Block, My Hood, My City, and Youth Guidance, among others, who are doing great work in these communities and we encourage fans to partner with us in supporting them. Our commitment is to continue to be an active participant in change.

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