It’s always good to have powerful people in your corner when you’re trying to fight for something. And, luckily for LeBron James and other NBA players, it doesn’t get any more powerful than former president Barack Obama.
After Wednesday’s player’s only meeting, James, Chris Paul and a small handful of other players sought the advice of Obama, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
They reached out to Obama for counsel on how to proceed with their activism in the fight for social justice. He essentially convinced the players to keep playing basketball.
During their conversation, Obama advised James and the other players to play and use the opportunity they have on the court to “contextualize action they want in order to play,” Charania reports. Players also suggested forming an action committee that the former president would be involved in.
Obama released a statement on his call with the players.
Statement from President Obama’s office on conversations with LeBron James and co: pic.twitter.com/87VdRKCrdN
Just two days after their call, the players and league came out with an action plan that keeps the playoffs going while expanding the league’s reach in social justice initiatives.
So there you have it. Playoff basketball is back, but more importantly the players are still fighting for what they believe in.
Players are saying the conversation didn’t happen how it was reported.
Patrick Beverley was turned into a villain on the internet today after Yahoo! Sports reported that he rudely interrupted Michele Roberts during a presentation to the NBA’s player’s during their meeting on Wednesday after the walkout.
He reportedly told Roberts that “I pay your salary” and wouldn’t let her continue a point about the financial losses the players could see if they chose not to continue the playoffs in the NBA’s bubble.
But apparently, according to some NBA players who were obviously at the meeting, it didn’t go down that way.
Roberts and Beverley did have some sort of moment with one another, but his teammates and other players are saying he absolutely did not tell her that he pays her salary.
His teammate Amir Coffee said that isn’t how it went down.
“We had a very interesting conversation. PA is like a family…Everyone is part of a family. You don’t always agree with your family members and that’s OK. You communicate about it and you try to make it better. Whatever the dialogue was and whatever you guys think it is, we made things better yesterday meeting with the owners. And that’s the most important.”
So it doesn’t look like we’ll ever find out exactly what was said between the two and how the conversation went down. But it seems that some people may owe Beverley an apology.
LeBron James is the face of the NBA. Whatever direction he goes is the same direction the NBA goes, as Patrick Beverley so poignantly let us know ahead of the NBA’s restart.
That’s why it’s so confusing that we don’t really know what role James was playing in the NBA’s players-only meeting on Wednesday after the players refused to play in playoff games in response to the Jacob Blake shooting.
There have been so many conflicting reports coming out about James and how he felt about everything. Did he support the Bucks? Was he mad at them for sitting? What did he think about them not telling anyone?
The only common factor we seem to have is that he walked out of the room. Other than that? Everyone’s story is different.
It starts with Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes reporting of the last 48 hours in the NBA’s bubble. According to his story, James was “miffed” about the Bucks last-minute protest and lack of an action plan behind it. Haynes reported that they put everyone in a “no-win” situation.
His frustration with Hill and the Bucks was because the players didn’t have a plan of action that would warrant players returning to play, sources said. James’ mindset, sources said, was if they’re refusing to play, then what’s the end game and what demands must be met to continue?
He was then asked by Miami’s Udonis Haslem what he wanted to do and he responded by saying the Lakers were out. Then they walked out of the room, per Haynes’ story.
Stephen A. Smith’s story sounds pretty similar to that one. He says that James was upset, but he also claimed that the Lakers star “turned off” young players by talking down to them in both the players only meeting and the meeting with owners.
Stephen A Smith says LeBron James left players and owners 'turned off'
"He was speaking out of pocket and was talking to players in a fashion that really turned some of these young cats off . . . He came across as if he was the King with some crown."
“I heard he was speaking out of pocket and was talking to players in a fashion that really turned some of these young cats off… The younger generation were not having what they were hearing from LeBron James because the fashion in which he spoke to them. So when he stormed out of there I was told it was in part because of that.”
Yeah, that’s strange. But it gets even stranger. The Athletic’s Shams Charania sent out a… let’s just call it a weird tweet that seemed to explain James’ walkout in a more favorable light to the Bucks.
Charania reports that he supported the Bucks, but “actions and outcomes” mattered most to him. And the Bucks had no plan, so he walked out.
Sources: LeBron James walked out of Wednesday’s players meeting because he supported Bucks, supported boycott, but there was no plan. For James, actions and outcomes mattered most; otherwise why do this? He became comfortable to play once NBPA mapped out purpose and plans.
Clearly, tensions inside the NBA bubble were at an all-time high over the last two days.
Just about everyone was caught off guard by the Milwaukee Bucks choosing to protest by refusing to play in their game against the Orlando Magic. And when NBA players met, tempers flared. They almost decided to end the season, Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes reports.
Of course, before they decided to end the season, the players needed to know what the financial ramifications would be. So naturally, they’d call on NBAPA executive director Michele Roberts to explain them. And that’s what she did.
According to Haynes’ report, She began giving the players numbers and explaining what could happen if they leave the league’s Orlando bubble. But that’s when things got heated.
While she was going through her explanation on potential losses, Clippers guard Patrick Beverley reportedly interrupted her and wouldn’t let her finish her point. Instead, he told her “I pay your salary.”
While she was going over the numbers, Clippers guard Patrick Beverley abruptly interrupted her, saying he disagreed with her logic, sources said. Roberts kindly reiterated that these were potential losses the players would suffer, and Beverley interrupted again.
Roberts asked politely if she could continue with her point, and Beverley responded, “No, I pay your salary,” sources said.
It doesn’t get more disrespectful than that. The other players in the room weren’t having that, though. According to Yahoo, they jumped in and told Beverley that “would not be tolerated.”
Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks confirmed that Beverley and Roberts did “have a moment” in the meeting, but they’ve moved on.
Spoke to some players who say that Pat Bev and Michele Roberts did have a ‘moment’ – but they spoke to each other yesterday morning and it has been completely resolved.
Glad to see that Chris Paul and Udonis Haslem (among others) responded firmly to Patrick Beverley’s really egregious behavior. pic.twitter.com/HWc3vwBSJe
The Milwaukee Bucks kicked off a movement on Monday by deciding not to play Game 5 against the Orlando Magic.
Not only did their fellow athletes in the NBA follow suit, but so did players and teams across other leagues. Players from the WNBA, MLB and MLS all decided not to play in games to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake and demand more be done to bring justice and equality to Black people in America.
But it wasn’t just athletes who felt compelled to jump in on the action. Apparently, the NBA’s employees did, too.
As a stand in solidarity with the NBA’s and WNBA’s players, nearly 100 NBA employees went on strike on Friday at the league’s office, ESPN’s Malika Andrews reports.
Instead, they’re calling their local officials to demand justice.
Sources: Roughly 100 NBA employees — based in New York — are on strike today, in solidarity with the NBA and WNBA players pushing for social justice. They will be spending the day calling elected officials.
They also wrote a letter to Adam Silver and the NBA as part of their strike, Andrews reports. It acknowledged the work the NBA has already done, but made clear that they believe the league can have a bigger impact.
“We acknowledge and credit all the work the NBA has already done. But we have the power to have a greater impact. The NBA has not done enough proactively, and rather has relied too heavily on our players… We understand that we are a business, but fears of losing revenue and advertisers should not numb us to the cries of Black men, women and children that continue to be oppressed in the same communities in which we play.”
The message has been received loud and clear from the NBA’s labor force. The NBA has done a lot of good, but the players and even the league’s staff don’t believe it’s done enough.
They believe the NBA and its owners can do more and, it seems, they’re willing to withhold their labor to push them into action. The ball is in the league’s court now.
To be a sports fan in 2020 either means working to understand the grief and rage of Black athletes, athletes who have decided not to play the game they love in order to get your attention, or opting instead to be willfully ignorant. To refuse to hear the message is to choose the side of the status quo, and the systemic racism that pervades our country.
This fight was always going to play out in this way, because when you talk about sports you are talking about race. This is obvious, of course, to anyone who pays even intermittent attention to our most popular games, football and basketball (at both the pro and college levels.) But even in other sports, there are Black stars — Tiger Woods, Serena Williams and Barry Bonds are some of the greatest athletes of all time — and there is, also, the absence of Black athletes and the systemic racism creating and sustaining those voids.
I was shocked into an understanding of the way race and sports intertwine at the end of my freshman year of college, which began 20 years ago this week. Penn State’s spring football game later that spring was briefly delayed when members of the school’s Black Caucus raced to the center of the field prior to kickoff. As the crowd around me booed, I, being a perky cub reporter who’d been following the news reported by my colleagues at the student paper, sought to explain: Black Caucus leaders had been getting death threats, and felt the university’s leadership was lax in its response to those threats. This was a way to get attention. As I told those around me about this controversy that had roiled on our campus — a campus I assumed they cared deeply about, since they were there for the game — I expected looks of shock, maybe sadness. Instead there were mostly angry sneers, louder boos and several uses of the n-word. When the protest had been dispersed, a team of Black men raced onto the field and the crowd roared.
I should have realized then that I would never truly *understand* sports unless I worked to comprehend racism. I’m ashamed to say I was slow to that epiphany, and have been too timid in using it to shape my work. Writing about sports is writing about race. Full stop. And we have not done a good enough job of making that clear, and exploring what it means. Yes, in college I wrote numerous stories of Black players “overcoming” the “adversity” of coming from a “rough neighborhood” or “single-parent home,” but I never pushed to truly understand why those places and people were talked about the way they were, or the forces that made — and kept — them that way.
We didn’t use the word woke so much back then, but I’m guessing I would have considered myself at least aware of, and sympathetic to, the plight of the Black athletes I covered. I was not. I showed this in my first real job, when I covered a high school basketball game between Cumberland Valley, a suburban school, and Harrisburg, the public city high school. Harrisburg was the top-ranked team in our coverage area, but had trouble with Cumberland Valley and I wrote that Harrisburg — made up mostly of Black players — had failed to execute and hadn’t been tough or smart enough. It was bad sports writing, built on cheap stereotypes. It was also racist, and was justifiably called out the next morning by school officials. So I knew the only thing to do was show up at Harrisburg’s practice later that day to try to apologize.
All eyes turned to me when I walked into the gym, but nobody would talk to me for a long while. Finally, the head coach motioned for me to join him. The players were spread through the gym, shooting free throws. He pointed at each one, explained what was going on at home. And I began to understand: For these players to execute even close to the level of other athletes in the area, with their privilege giving them a solid foundation and countless advantages, was a triumph. They’d pushed twice as hard, only to read in the paper the next day that they were undisciplined and unpolished and had gotten by on skill alone.
I felt awful … and still I was only beginning to understand the story in front of me. A few months later I moved to New York and wandered up into the Bronx and settled in on the bleachers at a football practice for DeWitt Clinton High School, where one coach would leave early to retrieve day-old apple pies the nearby McDonald was about to throw out. That way they knew their players would get at least something to eat that night.
Race permeated every story I covered from there on out:
I moved to Indiana to write about the Hoosiers basketball team in the wake of Mike Davis’ firing. The discussion of his tenure was fraught with racially coded language. His replacement, Kelvin Sampson, brought in hard-nosed players from those “tough neighborhoods” and, initially, won “the right way.” But when he was forced to leave after committing NCAA violations, and those players rebelled at having their trusted coach ripped away, they were quickly branded “thugs” who “didn’t get it.”
When I’d check public records to see if Indiana athletes got in trouble, I couldn’t help but notice that the Black athletes ended up with citations for not wearing seat belts at a dramatically higher rate than their white peers.
As I dove into the world of high-stakes recruiting and the AAU-level basketball that fuels it, I found that there were two types of players: The white gym rats who had a feel for the game (and private coaches galore) vs. the “springy” Black players who were “raw” but would undoubtedly get better “with the right coaching.”
Eventually I began to think back to my earlier years, to things I might have missed. I grew up a Philadelphia Eagles fan, marveling at the way Randall Cunningham did things on the field that no other player in the NFL could think of doing. But I also listened to a constant conversation that discounted Cunningham for perceived faults such as: He could not read a defense, he was not a big-game player, he could not run an offense efficiently, he did not have the It Factor. All of these, of course, were code for one thing so many people wanted to say but felt they could not: He’s Black.
***
One day earlier this summer I arrived to the basketball courts near my house to find that someone had written, in chalk, the names of Black men and women killed in violent attacks. The names filled the whole lane, and stretched beyond. I walked toward the court, to take a picture, when a Black boy ran over to me yelling, “Please don’t step on those.” It’s chilling now to think of what he was saying then: You cannot play your game. Please instead read these names.
What I also remember about that day — or perhaps it was another one like it this summer, they all run together — is the white kids about 200 yards away on the soccer fields, where adults were putting them through a clinic. Parents dropped them off wearing fresh cleats, clutching a new ball in one hand and $20 water bottle in the other. Over on the court the Black boy and his friends played game after game with whoever happened by. They’d go to the nearby water fountain during breaks, hoping it would work. They had wandered over from “the apartments” — a phrase always said with a disapproving tone by certain of my neighbors who’d also confided that the school “wasn’t what it used to be” — and would be there most of the day.
On its face, in a Maryland neighborhood some kids played soccer and some played basketball. But that wasn’t all that was happening there that day, and you know it. When you talk about sports, you’re talking about race. It is bewildering when sports writers are derided for being “woke.” There is no way to write about these games and the forces shaping them without being forcefully jolted from even the deepest slumber.
If you’ve never had to think about it in this way until now — or even until four years ago, when Colin Kaepernick first protested during the national anthem — then you probably have the benefit of being white, the default in this country. Of course that system works for you. And perhaps you’ve shielded yourself from any deeper examination because the Black athletes who’ve provided the memories you’ll cherish forever are getting rich, or at least getting a college scholarship. They’ve been rewarded, you think. We’re good here, we’re even.
Well, no more. Because those Black athletes are demanding now that you actually listen. That you understand they are outliers, the rare few who found a way to win a race that was stacked against them — and that their friends and family members didn’t get “left behind.” They lost a fight that was never meant to be fair in the first place. Black athletes are asking you now to understand that this system is broken. That none of this is coincidence; that those Black kids shooting hoops on their own each summer day will grow up to be seen and treated differently by police than those white kids attending an organized soccer camp. And that it is no longer OK.
Honestly, I hesitated even writing this because I’m still learning and still have blindspots. Also, this is a time for people like me to be listening — to Black athletes, but also to writers of color, like our own Mike D. Sykes and Hemal Jhaveri. Their voices are most important right now. I learn from them everyday, and will continue to do so. But it felt like the right moment to point out my own mistakes and how they’ve shaped me — and helped me understand how we got here.
If at this point you do not want to listen to the Black athletes who’ve paused sports, then you do not actually want to watch sports anymore. So stop. They are not for you. You’ve already taken more from them than they ever owed you, and there’s room now only for those who understand, at least, that it is time to give back.
Eagles’ QB Carson Wentz speaks on all the ‘evil’ in the world; NBA players using platforms for change
The Philadelphia Eagles joined in the chorus calling for social change and star quarterback Carson Wentz is help leading the charge.
Wentz spoke to the media following Thursday’s practice and confirmed that the Eagles discussed the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin that was followed by another shooting in the streets involving Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old Illinois resident, was arrested and faces a charge of first-degree intentional homicide in connection with shootings that left two people dead on Tuesday night.
That led to NBA players boycotting playoff games on Wednesday night and the NFL following suit on Thursday by some canceling practice and most if not all having some dialogue on social issues.
During his zoom meeting, Wentz spoke about all ‘the evil’ in the world giving him a heavy heart and NBA players using their platforms for change.
Wentz: Racism is "something I've chosen to look past" previously. as someone who knew very few Black people growing up. He says he's "being educated a lot."
"There's too many evil hearts, too many things that are ingrained in our culture," Wentz says. Says team wants "to see real change." "Some fans might not like it, but there's a hurting community, and we want to reach out and respond to that hurt."
The NBA’s referees marched against racism on Thursday in a show of solidarity with the NBA player’s protests.
NBA players took a stand against racism and demanded equality for Black people across America by not playing in any games on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday morning, the NBA’s officials made sure the players weren’t standing alone.
Instead of remaining silent on the issue, the NBA’s referees decided to host a march on the NBA’s bubble campus in support of the players’ protests against racism and police brutality.
They all met up early on Thursday morning, and at 9 a.m. at Disney’s Coronado Springs resort, they began a march around the campus. It wasn’t just NBA officials, either. Team attendants and others who were living on the NBA’s campus during their restart also attended.
The NBA referees plan to walk together at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort hotel as a form of peaceful protest against the killing of unarmed black men and women at the hands of police, a source said.
Disney employees are lined up clapping and cheering for the people marching in support of NBA players’ protests against racism and police brutality. The group includes not just referees but some team attendants and others living on campus. pic.twitter.com/VeUjdm4CQg
Training camp impressions and news on the annual team scrimmage even as boycotts in other leagues call the NFL’s response into question.
Wednesday began as an off day for the Cowboys and ended as one of the more remarkable days in sports history. Sparked by the Milwaukee Bucks’ boycott of their Game 5 tilt against the Orlando Magic, the NBA scrapped all of the evening’s playoff action. Some MLB teams, MLS, and the WNBA joined in solidarity, announcing stoppages of their own in response to police brutality, racial injustice, and the recent shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. And just like that, American sports deservedly took a backseat once again.
How Wednesday night’s stance by so many athletes might continue and how it may eventually affect the NFL – and specifically for those hitting up this site, the Cowboys – is anyone’s guess. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll alluded to possible boycotts by an NFL squad just two weeks out from opening night. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, already under fire for seeming to waffle on how he’ll treat player protests, will undoubtedly face questions about the chances of boycotted games the next time he’s in front of a microphone.
There are obviously much more important topics du jour than who’s done what at training camp and who’s poised for a big 2020 season on the football field. But there was that, too. Here are the News and Notes.
Following a mock game before which several Seattle players sat during the national anthem, the Seahawks coach discussed the shooting of Jacob Blake and acknowledged that 2020 is “the season of protesting.” With the Detroit Lions shutting down their practice on Tuesday and other sports leagues experiencing boycotts of Wednesday contests, Carroll’s comments indicate that a similar response by an NFL squad- maybe even on an upcoming gameday- is a distinct possibility.
With fewer practice sessions this year, players have a limited window in which to shine for the coaching staff. Jon Machota names five players who have impressed during training camp, and five players who haven’t done as much to help themselves.
The fan-favorite event will be played in the team’s empty home stadium. Offense will take on defense this Sunday, presumably to be streamed to fans as the only opportunity to watch the team in real time before the Week 1 season opener.
CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, and several other young players are having good training camps so far, making it hard not to be overly excited about the 2020 edition of the Dallas Cowboys.
There’s been a ton of turnover along the defensive front in Dallas this offseason. But opposing offenses would be wise not to forget that DeMarcus Lawrence is still the unit’s centerpiece. “I’ll give you something very interesting to look at this whole season,” the two-time Pro Bowler says.
John Owning discusses how Jaylon Smith is flourishing in coverage, how Trysten Hill is shedding the “bust” label, and how Aldon Smith doesn’t appear to have lost a step.
Safety Xavier Woods is one of the multiple young defensive backs on this Cowboys team capable of having a breakout year. Woods wasn’t pleased to hear that the Cowboys might acquire Earl Thomas, but he’s using the whispers as motivation.
Cowboys QBs play a target game early each practice. Do Dak, Andy and Co. actually keep score?
"No they’re not competitive at all," QB coach Doug Nussmeier tells us, laughing. "They just went into the quarterback room and drew a big board up with their names. Tally it every day." pic.twitter.com/R0yuGG6vLN
Gerald McCoy wasn’t around his new Cowboys teammates for very long before a quad injury ruined his season. But it was long enough to make a lasting impact on rookie and fellow defensive lineman Neville Gallimore.
Nick Shook issues rankings on who’s the best in the league at each of eight different receiver routes. Michael Gallup earns accolades for his “in route” work, while Amari Cooper is highlighted for the slant route.
Joe Philbin: “Looking forward to coaching a lot of games in this stadium.Truth be told when I was in the 70’s when I was growing up, I’m dating myself a little bit, but I was a Dallas Cowboy fan in New England. So this is a thrill for me.”
Love him or loathe him, Stephen A. Smith always comes with his two cents, and the volume is always turned up to ten. On Wednesday, he aimed his soapbox squarely at the most visible and outspoken owner in the NFL.
The NBA”s decision to cancel Wednesday’s game due to player boycotts have some wondering if it could happen in pro football. It already has.
With so many players, coaches, and teamsspeaking out about police violence in the wake of Kenosha, Wisconsin police shooting Jacob Blake, a Black man, several times in the back on Sunday — and with the Milwaukee Bucks choosing to boycott Game 5 of their NBA playoff series against the Orlando Magic (followed by the announcement that all of Wednesday’s games would be cancelled due to boycott), it leads one to wonder if the increased public civil rights awareness of seemingly everyone in the NFL might lead to pro football boycotts once the regular season actually gets rolling on September 10.
There’s no word of that possibility at this time, but there has been a professional football boycott before — and for racial reasons. Which means it could happen again.
FED UP. Ain’t enough money in world to keep overlooking true issues that effect the mind body & soul of what we do. We cannot be happy for self when our communities are suffering & innocent folk are dying.. since George Floyd, there have been at least 20 other police shootings. https://t.co/UmzuuWP7us
Six months after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the American Football League was set to play its All-Star game on January 16, 1965 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. This was 10 days after the stadium hosted the first completely integrated Sugar Bowl game without incident. But as the AFL players were to find out, incidents abounded upon their arrival.
“They told us, bring your wife and kids,” Raiders running back Clem Daniels recalled. “There will also be a golf tournament. It sounded like a big picnic.”
It really wasn’t. Black players found it nearly impossible to find public transportation, and restaurants were problematic at best.
“In the restaurants, the patriots didn’t want us to sit anywhere near them,” said Bills tight end Ernie Warlick in the NFL Films documentary, “Full Color Football.” “We’d hang up our coats, and they’d say, ‘Hey—don’t put your coats next to mine!’”
“I checked in, and I heard in the background, somebody asked a question: ‘Was that [defensive lineman] Ernie Ladd?’ And another guy in the background said, ‘No, Ernie Ladd’s a bigger [n-word] than that. That Ladd is a big [n-word],” recalled Chargers defensive lineman Earl Faison.
Chiefs running back Abner Haynes: “I get on the elevator to go to my room, and the elevator operator says, ‘You monkeys get in the back, so everybody can get in!’ I said, ‘You’re an elevator operator, and I’m a monkey?’
Warlick: “We went out to get a taxi. Taxis were lined up out in front of the hotel. [Bills running back] Cookie Gilchrist, one of our players, said, ‘Hey—we want a taxi.’ And the guy says ‘We gotta call y’all a colored cab.’ And Cookie says, ‘I don’t care what color the cab is; I just want a taxi! Why can’t we ride in one of these?’”
Eventually, several players decided to go to the French Quarter, where things escalated further.
“There’s a greeter standing outside saying, ‘Come in here, come in here.’ We get to another door, we get ready to go in, this little guy standing there pulls out a gun. ‘You are not coming in here. You [n-words] are not coming in here.’”
The look of hurt on Faison’s face, four decades later, tells the story even more graphically than his words do. Faison said that Ladd lunged at the man holding the gun, and the man aimed the gun at Ladd’s nose, saying, “I will pull the trigger.”
Ladd told Faison that he wasn’t going to play a game in New Orleans under any conditions, and the Black players on both the East and West teams got together to discuss a boycott. When the players were set to board the bus for practice that morning, Hall of Fame offensive tackle recalls the difference in attendance.
“The bus was like a third empty. And the coach said, ‘Where is everybody?’ Somebody said, ‘None of the Black players are here. They’re all in a meeting.’”
Per Neil Graves of The Undefeated, Mix tried to talk to the black players and convince them to reverse their decision, but they would not be moved.
“Look, we know we aren’t going to change these people,” Raiders receiver Art Powell told Mix. “But neither are they going to change us. We must act as our conscience dictates.” And to Mix’s contention that this boycott would leave the players as bad examples for black people everywhere who couldn’t just leave a situation when things got tough… well, Powell had an answer for that, too.
“I suppose it would be better to stay here and by doing so imply that we accept such treatment for ourselves and our people?” Powell said. “Do you want us to condone it?”
The AFL had several options. They could play the game without their black players. They could try to force the black players to play. They could move the game to a more hospitable environment. Or, they could cancel the game altogether. To the league’s credit, and very much against the prevailing sentiment of the time, which gave players (especially black players) very little voice in anything important in any sport, the league moved the game to Houston’s Jeppesen Stadium and out of New Orleans altogether.
Jan 16, 1965; Houston, TX, USA; FILE PHOTO; Boston Patriots quarterback Babe Parilli (15) throws the ball while San Diego Chargers tackle Ernie Ladd (77) applies pressure 1965 AFL All Star Game at Jeppesen Stadium. (Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports)
After the game was moved, New Orleans mayor Victor Schiro told the Associated Press that AFL Commissioner Joe Foss “acted hastily,” and that the players who walked out did “themselves and their race a disservice by precipitous action.”
“If these men would play football only in cities where everybody loved them, they’d all be out of a job today. Their reaction will only aggravate the very condition they are seeking, in time, to eliminate.”
Dixon questioned “the wisdom of the peremptory action with they took to redress these alleged grievances.”
The city tried to appease the players by sending Ernest Morial, the NAACP field secretary for New Orleans, to try and negotiate a peace.
“I met with the players and asked them not to leave immediately, but to give us 24 hours to see if the matter could be worked out to the satisfaction of the entire community,” Morial, who eventually became New Orleans’ first black mayor, told The Undefeated. “[But] in the final analysis, it was their decision.”
According to Dixon, Morial told them that “militant action such as they were contemplating would not only damage this city, but would greatly retard efforts by man of goodwill, of both races, to achieve harmony in the most difficult problem of our times.”
“Our experience thus far with integrated football, basketball and even track meets had been exceptionally good,” Dixon continued in that AP article. “We are a very cosmopolitan and tolerant city, but we are also a Southern city, and there are times when personal reaction is unpredictable.
“It seems to me that the players who walked out on us should have rolled with the punch. Almost all of them are educated college men, who must be aware than you cannot change human beings overnight.”
Which is why sometimes, you need to force the thought of change with decisive action.
“It didn’t get the publicity I think it should have,” Patriots defensive lineman Houston Antwine said of the boycott in the book, Going Long. “We didn’t feel it was properly addressed. Back in Boston, there was one little blip in the paper showing me with my bag leaving the hotel. That was basically it. The hostility and the treatment we received was never really publicized.”
Antwine had a point. The 1965 AFL boycott wasn’t talked about as much as it should have been, and it certainly hasn’t been discussed as much as future examples of resistance were. But for the times, and in a relatively new league, it was a very gutsy decision to make for players who had been treated like equals for two reasons—enlightened men like Sid Gillman, Al Davis, and Hank Stram, and the league’s realization that were it to succeed, it would have to do away with old quotas and biases and accept all players based on pure talent. Given half a decade of such progress, it’s easy to see why the environment presented to those players seemed impossible to take under any circumstances.
Sadly, the need for this kind of action hasn’t changed in the decades since.
