Football wasn’t the priority this week.
The Indianapolis Colts didn’t spend the week working on offensive or defensive installs. Not with everything going on outside of the football world.
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Instead, they used their typical meeting times to talk about the events transpiring in America and, most notably, how race has impacted several of the players throughout their lives.
Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke—entering his second season in the league—detailed some of the “emotional” and “impactful” conversations the team has had over the course of the week.
“I think the first day, it really started off with players mostly talking. People sharing their personal accounts, whether it was stuff related with police brutality or racism in general. It was very emotional. There were a lot of tears, a lot of compassion and everyone being sympathetic toward each other,” Okereke said Wednesday. “I think for a lot of players on this team – players, staff, coaches – yesterday when we first had that conversation, that was probably one of the most impactful social conversations they’ve ever had in their life and for me, easily. I think it’s just been incredible having these conversations and I think we all need to in our circles going forward to have the change in this country we need.”
The Colts have been vocal in their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Both head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard gave statements calling for change across the country, especially when it comes to the education and understanding of racism and police brutality.
Okereke himself even gave some accounts of what it has been like growing up in a mostly-white area.
“It’s been emotional. I kind of told my story a little bit – growing up in Tustin, Calif. being one of the only black families in my environment growing up. So I didn’t necessarily face overt racism, but I felt some of it,” said Okereke. “But I just think it’s been positive to see – especially people in my young generation – kind of the momentum on social media, people in the protest, kind of just seeing everybody on the same page realizing that racism is an issue in this country and that there is a lot we can do about it and police brutality is one of the main issues that we need to attack in this country.”
When it comes to how the Colts will handle potential peaceful protests during the season, it has yet to be determined. Whether they kneel during the national anthem or find a different way to get their message across, the Colts will do so as a team.
“We kind of floated around some ideas, whether we can have a racial or social awareness month – something like that,” said Okereke. “I think once we all have the opportunity to get into Indianapolis, everybody is going to feel that drive and that purpose to get together whether it’s going downtown in Indianapolis or doing something at our facility. I think everybody realizes that we all have to take solidarity in this issue and we have to come together and do something together.”
It will be interesting to see what the Colts decide to do in order to make their voices heard, but the conversations they’ve had this week have brought the team together both in terms of understanding and in doing something to bring about change.
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