Tag: national anthem protest

News: Cousins’ advice for Dak, Vander Esch’s return, Zeke’s COVID plan

Plus, big things expected from CeeDee Lamb, first cuts of training camp, previewing the Cowboys’ anthem plan, and a Super Bowl prediction.

It’s starting to get real. The 2020 season is almost here. Guys are getting cut, teams are talking about what they’ll do during the national anthem, rookies are getting in extra reps, players who have been nursing injuries during camp are eyeing their return.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott fielded media questions about the new-look offense (which may not be all that different), but also got some unsolicited advice from a fellow passer as he gets set to play a season under the franchise tag. All that, plus calling shots on the Cowboys’ electrifying rookie and how Dallas might just end up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy when it’s all over. Here’s the News and Notes.

Kirk Cousins’ advice to Dak Prescott would be to make sure he has an insurance policy :: Blogging the Boys

In the same podcast where the Vikings quarterback shared his personal views on COVID-19, he also threw in his two cents on how the Cowboys passer should approach playing this season under the franchise tag. Cousins admitted that Prescott’s situation is slightly more complicated than his was simply because of the logo on Dak’s helmet.

Devin Smith headlines first wave of Cowboys roster cuts :: Cowboys Wire

The former second-round draft pick was released by Dallas on Wednesday, along with center Adam Redmond and quarterback Clayton Thorson. The club has until Saturday afternoon to pare down the roster to 53 names.

Trevon Diggs turning heads with more reps :: The Mothership

Among a crowd of veterans, rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs has stood out like few players have during 2020 training camp. Cowboys writer Rob Phillips brings you coaches’ quotes and words from Diggs himself as he prepares for his initial NFL season.

Mike McCarthy press conference: Chidobe Awuzie, Xavier Woods should be back soon, Jourdan Lewis not expected this week :: Blogging the Boys

Dave Halprin and RJ Ochoa of Blogging the Boys break down the latest Mike McCarthy press conference. Notable topics include the health of multiple key players, how his system has meshed with Kellen Moore’s, and much more.

Cowboys’ Prescott ‘excited’ to unveil CeeDee Lamb, ‘take control’ in ‘ Kellen’s show’ :: Cowboys Wire

Much has changed in Dallas, especially on the sideline, since last season. But quarterback Dak Prescott hopes to build on 2019’s success by taking the next step in what is unquestionably still Kellen Moore’s offense.

NFL rookies most likely to make top 100 in 2021: Todd McShay ranks 10 with early star potential :: ESPN

ESPN’s Todd McShay ranks NFL rookies by their chances of making the best 100 players in the league list. It’s no surprise the Cowboys’ rookie CeeDee Lamb is near the top of the list, ranking third.

Three reasons the Cowboys will win Super Bowl LV: Dak Prescott torches the NFL, The Infinity Gauntlet and more :: CBS Sports

The Cowboys undoubtedly have one of the better rosters in the league. CBS Sports’ Patrik Walker gives three big reasons why the Cowboys could take the next step in contention this year. The X-factors include Dak Prescott playing for his big payday, Mike McCarthy’s new guidance, and the loaded offensive stable that surrounds Prescott.

Mailbag: The return of Leighton Vander Esch :: The Mothership

In the latest edition of Mailbag, Cowboys writers David Helman and Jonny Auping do their best to answer fan questions. The topics this time focus on how Vander Esch has looked during camp, and how much of roster construction focuses on the upcoming schedule.

Ezekiel Elliott: Cowboys won’t ‘do anything dumb’ to risk spreading COVID-19 :: NFL.com

Ezekiel Elliott gives some insight to his- and the team’s- mindset regarding Covid-19 this season. It’s clear that the Cowboys and their star running back are on a mission this year.

The first annual Rowdies: Cowboys training camp awards :: Blogging the Boys

Blogging the Boys brings some fun to training camp reviews with these fictional awards. For example, the “Too good to be true trophy” was given to Aldon Smith after reports say he hasn’t missed a step despite missing multiple seasons. Follow the link above to see all the awards.

Prescott hopes Cowboys can ‘express ourselves individually’ during pregame :: Cowboys Wire

Jerry Jones hasn’t issued an edict yet for what the team will or won’t do during the national anthem, but his quarterback has put his preference on the record. “If I had it my way,” Prescott said, “that’s exactly what we’d do, is express ourselves individually, but love and support one another collectively.”

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Ryan Reaves and Tyler Seguin were among the first in-uniform NHL players to kneel for anthem

Four players took knees.

In the few weeks since U.S. professional sports returned to action, the peaceful protest during the national anthems against racial injustice and police brutality became a widespread demonstration.

Players from the NBA, MLB, WNBA, MLS and NWSL took knees during the anthem or made a demonstrations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. But protests during the anthem were noticeably absent from the NHL’s restart at the hub locations in Edmonton and Toronto.

The Wild’s Matt Dumba took a knee for the anthem while in street clothes and later raised his fist in Minnesota’s second game. But no other in-uniform player took a knee for the anthem.

That changed on Monday.

Ahead of the Western Conference round robin matchup between the Stars and Golden Knights, Ryan Reaves, Tyler Seguin, Robin Lehner and Jason Dickinson all took knees for the playing of the national anthems.

Seguin, Dickinson and Reaves (a dual citizen) are Canadian, and they took knees for both the U.S. and Canadian anthems. Lehner is from Sweden.

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, Seguin attended Black Lives Matter protests and spoke of his desire to be more proactive in fighting for racial justice.

Monday’s demonstration was certainly a step to back up his message from June.

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Every person on the court kneeled for the national anthem before the Jazz-Pelicans game

Powerful statement.

The NBA returned to action after a four-month hiatus amid the global coronavirus pandemic. But it was also a four months that saw nationwide protests against police brutality in response to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

With the push for social justice on the forefront ahead of the NBA’s return, many expected the Jazz and Pelicans to make a demonstration during the national anthem on Thursday.

And that they did.

Before the game, every member of the Pelicans, Jazz and the officials took a knee for the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice. This was the scene in Orlando.

It was the same peaceful protest that Colin Kaepernick started back in 2016 before essentially seeing an end to his NFL career.

The NBA does have a rule that requires players to stand at attention for the anthems, but league commissioner Adam Silver said in the lead-up to the restart that he respected peaceful protest and would “address” whatever the players decided on.

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Cardinals QB Kyler Murray plans to kneel for national anthem

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray announced his intention to kneel during the national anthem in 2020 to protest police brutality.

When Colin Kaepernick made the decision to kneel during the national anthem in 2016, it not only cost him his career (at least up to this point) it also stirred up a tremendous amount of controversy, with nearly everyone – including the President – weighing in.

Kaepernick’s kneeling was done as a peaceful protest about police brutality against people of color, and although it has been four years since he last knelt he is back in the news, thanks to the recent protests nationwide in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last month.

Many current players have spoken out, indicating they intend to follow in Kaepernick’s footsteps and kneel during the 2020 season.

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is the latest to state his intention, telling Arizona reporters on a Zoom call on Wednesday that he plans to kneel this season.

“I’ll be kneeling,” Murray said. “I stand for what’s right and that’s the bottom line. I call it like I see it. What’s been going on is completely wrong. I will definitely be taking a knee.”

So far, no one on the Seahawks has indicated they will be kneeling in 2020, although it’s fair to assume Duane Brown and Branden Jackson, who have spent the national anthem in the locker room the last two seasons to avoid punishment, will likely be joining Murray on a knee this season.

In fact, it seems plausible the Seahawks, and other teams, may come up with a way to protest all together, either by kneeling, holding hands, etc. that demonstrates their unity while also showing their solidarity with those fighting police brutality in the states.

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Baker Mayfield says he will ‘absolutely’ kneel during national anthem

Baker Mayfield says he will ‘absolutely’ kneel during national anthem to support the movement against police brutality and social injustice

Baker Mayfield is going to kneel with his teammates during the national anthem this coming season out of respect for the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality protests.

Mayfield made the revelation during an Instagram post of a workout video. He was asked in the comments if he was going to kneel.

And the Browns quarterback doesn’t care if fans don’t like it.

Mayfield later explained his stance in the comment,

“Everybody so upset about my comment doesn’t understand the reasoning behind kneeling in the first place … Nate (Boyer) and Kap (Colin Kaepernick) came to an agreement that kneeling was the most respectful way to support our military while also standing up for equality.

“I have the utmost respect for our military, cops, and people that serve OUR country. It’s about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human. It’s been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent.

“If I lose fans, that’s okay. I’ve always spoken my mind. And that’s from the heart.”

NASCAR official opens up about taking a knee for national anthem, prayer

“All I could think about, of course, is Mr. Floyd and his family,” NASCAR official Kirk Price said.

In a few different ways, the NASCAR world made an effort to speak out about racism Sunday before the Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Most notably, some of the sport’s biggest stars — like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson — helped make a scripted video condemning racial inequality and encouraging people to listen and better educate themselves as the first step to help end injustice. In the generalized call to action, they said “the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and countless others in the black community are heartbreaking and can no longer be ignored.” Drivers shared the video on social media Sunday, and FOX included it in its pre-race broadcast, along with a statement from NASCAR president Steve Phelps.

But beyond the previously recorded video, there were a couple other pre-race moments that stood out. First, driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. — the only black driver at NASCAR’s top level — wore a t-shirt with “I Can’t Breathe” and “Black Lives Matter” written on it.

And during the traditional prayer and national anthem, one NASCAR official, Kirk Price, took a knee. It’s believed to be the first time a competitor or official has kneeled for the anthem in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“All I could think about, of course, is Mr. Floyd and his family,” Price told The Charlotte Observer on Sunday. “As well as the others that have passed from brutality from police and hostility in the world.”

(Brynn Anderson/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network)

As The Observer noted, Price is a 49-year-old technical inspector and race official who served in the Army for three years and is an alumnus of the Drive for Diversity program, which helps women and people of color break into the mostly white, male sport.

Price — who said he supports nationwide peaceful protests but “not at all the violence and the rioting” — kneeled for the invocation with his fist in the air. And when the national anthem immediately followed, he continued kneeling and put his hand to his head for a military salute.

More from The Charlotte Observer:

“I fully respect the flag. I fully do,” Price said. “That’s not what the issue is here. The issue is African Americans being oppressed for so long under the flag.”

“I respect everyone’s opinion,” Price continued. “But to be honest with you, I know what the flag stands for and I know about Black people being oppressed because I am one.”

Protest supporters and athletes, particularly NFL players, have explained for years that the peaceful demonstration is not about the flag but about racism, oppression and police brutality.

Price’s gesture is significant in NASCAR for several reasons in addition to presumably being the first official or competitor to protest during the prayer or anthem.

Bubba Wallace before Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

NASCAR has a controversial history with racial issues, especially as a mostly white sport. The governing body discourages people from flying the confederate flag at races, but the symbol of slavery and oppression is often still present.

In 2017 as people continued debating athletes kneeling for the national anthem as a way to protest racial injustice and police brutality, NASCAR team owners Richard Petty and Richard Childress said they’d fire employees who took a knee.

Seven-time Cup Series champion Petty told USA TODAY Sports about national anthem protests: “Anybody that don’t stand up for that ought to be out of the country. Period.” Childress added that if an employee kneeled for the song that he’d “get you a ride on a Greyhound bus when the national anthem is over.”

And most recently, driver Kyle Larson was fired in April after using the N-word during an iRacing event — an incident some in the industry believe set the sport back a decade.

Read more about Kirk Price’s peaceful protest in The Charlotte Observer.

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