George Floyd died in Minneapolis after being pinned to the ground by a police officer on May 25. His death has led to athletes, local and from all over the world, speaking out about police brutality and racial equality. Many of those athletes have been Vikings players.
Ameer Abdullah joined up with linebacker Eric Kendricks and safety Anthony Harris, COO Andre Patterson, GM Rick Spielman and co-offensive coordinator Andrew Miller on a Zoom conference to shed light on how they are processing the tragedies that continue to afflict African-Americans and other people of color, according to USA TODAY Sports columnist Jarrett Bell.
Bell thinks dialogue and listening are good things, but “it sounds like a lot of what we’ve heard before.”
Here’s some of what he said:
“In time, we’ll find out whether the Vikings and others have the stomach to press on the challenges in confronting the systemic racism that has been embedded in American society for generations. And (to borrow from Jay-Z), it needs to go further than kneeling as the awareness has been raised.”
Bell said he hopes Minnesota will “continue to recognize in the spirit of unity,” and that demands for accountability, equality and the eradication of systemic racism are not divisive.
He wrote that the team’s plan to tackle issues plaguing the United States is a whale of a challenge.