Equality: Ohio State football to have something new on the back of its helmets this year

The Ohio State football team has collectively decided to put these words on the back of their iconic silver helmets for 2020.

Several Big Ten teams will be enhancing their uniforms with nods towards social justice and equality this fall. Ohio State is no different. The Big Ten released a statement on Friday, announcing the launch of the “United as One” campaign across its member schools to give the student-athletes a voice and continue to shed light on social justice and an end to racism.

“All things are possible in the Big Ten when we unite as one,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren in the statement. “I am humbled and deeply appreciative of how our 14 member institutions have communicated, collaborated and committed to develop a conference-wide campaign focused on creating equality and equity in our society.”

And when it comes to Ohio State, the players have decided to add the word “Equality” to the back bubble of the football helmet that usually has the word “Buckeyes” spelled out.

“With everything that’s been going on with social justice and stuff, what we decided to do as a team — we’re going to have “Equality” stated on everybody’s helmet during the game on this little bubble right here,” said team captain Jonathon Cooper. “We decided equality because I think it represents all of us, just together, our family and stuff.

“Equality is a good word to put to sum up all of the ideas and all the things we’re thinking in the Buckeye culture and in the locker room,” said defensive end Zach Harrison. “Everybody’s equal, regardless of race or where you came from, background, this that or the other. It’ll be a great thing for the country to follow our footsteps and how we treat each other in the locker room at Ohio state.

Get a look at how this will all look by watching the video the Ohio State Football Twitter account shared on Friday.

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Jets, Bills remain in locker room during anthems

The Jets and the Bills decided to remain in their locker rooms during the playing of the anthems prior to kickoff on Sunday.

The Jets and the Bills decided to remain in their respective locker rooms during the playing of the anthems on Sunday.

As the playing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” began prior to kickoff, both teams retreated to their locker rooms. They remained there for the playing of the national anthem and returned to the field upon its completion. According to the CBS broadcast, Le’Veon Bell said the Jets had a team vote and wanted to do something that displayed unity, hence their decision to not be on the field for the anthems.

The two teams deciding to stay in their locker rooms comes in the wake of the Chiefs and Texans joining forces at midfield prior to the beginning of the 2020 season to show unity. Players on both the Jets and Bills have been vocal about social and racial injustices in America following the shooting of Jacob Blake and the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and numerous others in the Black community.

Following the Blake shooting, the Jets postponed practice and spent over four hours discussing the incident and social and racial injustices throughout the United States. Joe Douglas, Adam Gase and Christopher Johnson all participated in the conversations and have voiced support for their players.

“It’s just definitely something that I don’t want — and a lot of my brothers in the locker room — swept under the rug,” safety Bradley McDougald said after Blake’s shooting. “This is not just a one-day topic or when it happens, we need to talk about it. This is something real in our community that we’re dealing with. And I’m going to deal with it for the rest of my life and my kids are going to deal with it. When we put street clothes on, when we walk out these doors, it’s real.”

Ryan Clark on why fans booed at the Chiefs game: ‘Because you’re doing stuff for Black people’

Straight up.

Kansas City Chiefs fans booed before the kickoff at the Chiefs and Texans game on Thursday night as the players were holding a moment of “unity.”

Players from both teams locked arm in arm and stood together in demonstration against the injustices Black folks face in this country every single day.

And fans booed while it was happening. It was awful.

On Friday, everyone began offering up their explanations as to why fans were booing. Some said they were just saying “Chiefs,” which, uh, sure. There were so many answers for what it was or what it seemed to be, but the best one yet came from ESPN’s Ryan Clark on First Take.

He was blunt. He said fans were booing because the NFL decided it was going to do something that benefits Black people.

JJ Watt says, ‘Well, we just came together for unity. I don’t really understand why people would boo.’ Well, I’ma help him out. They’re booing because you’re doing stuff for Black people. They’re booing because you’re saying police brutality, social injustice, against that community is wrong. That’s why they’re booing. Not because y’all linked up. Not because white players are hanging out with Black players and they see things the same way.”

He wasn’t done there. He had a lot more to say.

“It’s about the thing you see the same way…If you link for breast cancer, they’re going to clap. If you link up for autism, they’re going to clap. If you link up to pay homage or honor veterans, they’re going to clap. I know they’re going to clap because I’ve been there and I’ve linked up for those things. But you linked up to say that Black people need to be treated differently. That’s the problem. 

Straight up.

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Kenny Stills: Jets’ Adams Gase reached out to apologize and discuss activism

Adam Gase caught up with Kenny Stills to discuss his social activism and express his regret for not understanding in the past.

Jets head coach Adam Gase is all-in on supporting his players and how they choose to protest social and racial injustices across America. It wasn’t too long ago that he did not grasp the magnitude of the situation, though.

When he was with the Dolphins, Gase coached Kenny Stills, who has emerged as one of the most vocal players in the NFL regarding social and racial injustices. Stills was one of the first players to join Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during the national anthem and, on July 14, was arrested as part of the Louisville 87, a group of 87 men and women who were arrested for peacefully protesting the lack of action following the killing of Breonna Taylor.

Stills’ activism caught the eye of Gase, who called his former player to not only discuss the receiver’s efforts to bring about change, but to also express his regret for not doing more to support Still when the two were together in Miami.

“I was really, really, like, impacted by Gase,” Stills, now with te Texans, told ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe. “He reached out to me and was just like, ‘Hey I apologize for never having a conversation with you around this topic. I totally didn’t understand, I didn’t get it, and it’s something I regret.’ Him doing that out of the blue really showed who he is as a man and our relationship and the character he has and how he’s grown.”

Gase has stated that he will back any players who decide to kneel during the national anthem this upcoming season. He was also a major part of New York’s conversation about social and racial injustices when the Jets canceled practice last week.

Gang Green’s second-year head coach has yet to commit to kneeling with players in 2020 if they decide to do so, but it sounds like he now has a firmer grasp on the pulse of his team regarding their thoughts on social and racial injustices throughout the United States. After the killings of Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and numerous others in the Black community, Gase has learned from those who have been impacted the most.

“He’s able to sit down and reflect and really think about his actions and his decisions,” Stills said. “I think just as a man, regardless of the NFL or being a head coach or whatever, that’s something I admire and appreciate and love about him.”

WATCH: Kirk Herbstreit gets emotional talking about social injustice on College GameDay

ESPN College GameDay analyst and former Ohio State QB Kirk Herbstreit got emotional talking about social injustice in a moving monologue.

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We got to see a different side of Kirk Herbstreit this weekend that we don’t often see. The former Ohio State quarterback and long-time analyst on ESPN’s College GameDay program started to talk about what college players can do to help lead to change when it comes to social injustice when things got emotional.

“How do you listen to these stories and not feel pain,” said Herbstreit, as he started to choke up. “And not.. not want to help..”

Herbstreit continued to speak on the different injustices felt by the African-American community while visibly emotional in what was a very moving, raw commentary on social justice that we don’t often see on a channel like ESPN.

I would recommend that everyone watch this powerful video today:

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Jets release video addressing social and racial injustice: ‘Enough is enough’

The Jets released a video addressing recent social and racial injustices in American on Saturday night.

The Jets have had enough of the recent social and racial injustices that have taken place across America.

On Saturday night, New York released a video touching on social and racial issues in the United States. The video features numerous Jets players, as well as head coach Adam Gase, general manager Joe Douglas and CEO and acting owner Christopher Johnson. It ends with players and members of the organization on the practice field saying “enough is enough” in unison.

“In lieu of practicing on Thursday, the Jets players and organization took the day to discuss ways we could affect change in our community,” members of the organization state in the video. “We are using this moment to focus on social injustices that are devastating families and people across the country. It is important we use this time to understand, educate and effectuate change.”

The Jets canceled practice on Thursday and spent over four hours discussing the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin and what they can do to address social and racial issues, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Joe Douglas, Adam Gase and Christopher Johnson were involved in the conversations, which lasted well through the morning.

Cimini added that conversations got emotional at times, but remained centered on finding solutions. Prior to Thursday, Le’Veon Bell, Jamison Crowder, Marcus Maye, Bradley McDougald, La’Mical Perine and assistant head coach/linebackers coach Frank Bush all voiced their thoughts on the Blake shooting. Sam Darnold and Jonotthan Harrison followed suit after practice on Saturday.

According to Harrison, the Jets have not discussed sitting out any regular-season games in an effort to bring more awareness to the cause, but the dialogue will continue throughout the year.

“Our purpose is to spur action,” the Jets said in the video. “We support other teams and league that are doing the same, and call on those sitting on the sidelines to join us in creating change in our country. Enough is enough. The time is now. We need to do this together.”

Watch: Giants’ impactful ‘Together, we will make a difference’ video

The New York Giants made a powerful statement through video against racism and social injustice.

The New York Giants joined the teams making a strong statement against racism and social injustice Friday. Big Blue posted a stirring video with players as well as ownership making the point:

Former Michigan State star Draymond Green signs as a contributor with CNN

Green has been making media appearances while off from basketball since mid-March.

Draymond Green is getting a jump start on his media career.

Green, whose Golden State Warriors haven’t played since the NBA shut down in mid-March and who weren’t a part of the restart, has been making media appearances during his off time, including as an analyst with the NBA on TNT studio show.

Now it appears he will be leaning a bit more into the news and political world, signing on with CNN as a contributor.

CNN and TNT are both owned by Turner Broadcasting Systems, so the marriage of Green appearing on networks under the same company umbrella jives. Green has been outspoken on subjects such as racism, police brutality, and social injustice and I’m sure will be right at home talking on CNN about where those issues intersect with sports.

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Chris Conley believes NFL QBs hold keys to progress on battle against racism, social injustice

WR Chris Conley has been extreme active in the fight against racism but admits it’s going to take bigger voices in the NFL to make progress.

With many members of the professional sports realm protesting in wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old African American, by Kenosha Police officer Rusten Sheskey, Thursday wasn’t a normal day at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ facility. Still, after a delay of a few hours and a close 37-36 vote between the roster, the team practiced.

After taking the field, one of the team’s most vocal players and leaders, Chris Conley, spoke with the media about what was a mentally difficult day.

“Man what a day,” said Conley to open his virtual presser. “Today, the building and the locker room was somewhat of a microcosm of what’s been going on in this country for weeks and months. But the outcome could be taken in multiple ways. You could take it in a way to say, ‘Oh they weren’t united, they were split.’”

With the team talking things out before taking the field, saying the team wasn’t united definitely wouldn’t be fair, though some thought Thursday should continue without practicing. Still, one thing they all agreed upon was to keep tackling America’s issues with racism, inequality, systematic injustice, and police brutality. That much was made clear after the team marched for the Black Lives Matter movement in May and in the statements/presser by Doug Marrone.

During his time with the media, Conley was also asked about whether he believed the NFL would take a similar approach like the NBA and boycott games at some point. His reply was a blunt and genuine one, stating that the NFL is too massive for such an approach as owners are always looking for a replacement. For that reason, he believes the most powerful players in the league — the franchise quarterbacks — are the ones who would have to sacrifice time on the field to really make progress on America’s issues.

“The difference between the NFL and other major league sports machines throughout the country is that they’re looking for your replacement here at all times and they will replace you and the show will go on without you. And until the people in the NFL who are irreplaceable decide that they’re going to step back and they’re going to hang it up for a week, two weeks, whatever it may be, I don’t foresee that happening,” Conley said.

“I think you have great leaders in this league, you have guys who have a voice and who want to be heard and who are willing to make that sacrifice. I believe I’m one of them. But until those figures who are the face of the league decide that and people rally behind them, I don’t think you see that, I don’t think you see that from us.”

Afterward, Conley also added that he completely understands that such a sacrifice from the marquee quarterbacks in the league like Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Deshaun Watson is a lot to ask for. With the NBA being a smaller group, however, players like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony can band their league together and have a great degree of star power to go with it. Additionally, there are other factors that play into it like the fact that activism is embedded in the NBA’s history and it probably helps that the sport has a higher representation of those who identify themselves as black (74%) or a person of color (83%).

“A hell of a lot of courage,” Conley replied when ask what it would take for notable quarterbacks to step up. “The problem with the league is the NFL is a very large league. You have a lot of guys on a lot of different teams, a lot of different backgrounds, not everyone knows everyone, even people who are of that significant status—not all of them know each other.”

“It’s a little bit different in the NBA. A lot of those guys do know each other and if they don’t know each other directly, they know someone who knows someone that they’ve played with. These conversations would be good conversations to be had by a lot of those guys. But at the same time, you want people who will be most affected by these decisions and the conversation, too.”

Regardless of how difficult it may be, however, it’s clear the Jags and other NFL teams have plans to remain active in the battle of racism. Players like Conley and Leonard Fournette have have success garnering the attention of city officials and conducting protests as we saw after George Floyd’s murdering. That won’t be changing any time soon and when/if the league’s marquee quarterbacks figure out a way to impact the fight on a larger scale, it will only add to what players like Conley and Fournette have already done.

NFL, NFLPA release statement regarding racism and injustice

The NFL and NFLPA released their statement on social injustice and racism.

The NFL and NFLPA weighed in Thursday with their feelings on the current state of racism and social injustice in the United States.

The league and players’ group released a statement saying they “share the anger and frustration, most recently as a result of the shooting of Jacob Blake.

This came on a day when multiple teams called off practices:

The Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans all canceled their practices, while the Arizona Cardinals, who were not scheduled to practice Thursday, announced they would not hold team activities. NFL Network’s James Palmer reported the Denver Broncos decided not to practice following a meeting that lasted over two hours.

The Los Angeles Chargers canceled their scrimmage at SoFi Stadium, where the venue’s oculus video board posted a recent quote from Blake’s sister, Letetra Widman: “I’m not sad. I don’t want your pity. I want change.”