After the tragic and senseless killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, the Los Angeles Rams turned what was supposed to be a regular team meeting about the upcoming season into an open forum for players to discuss social injustice and racism. It was organized by Sean McVay, who opened the floor to whoever wanted to share their feelings about the situation and their personal experiences.
Johnny Hekker, being one of the leaders and captains of the team, was part of the video conference call and appreciated McVay for allowing players to open up. Hekker was on The Jim Rome Show Thursday and reflected on the meeting, saying it was an “open and honest conversation” about how players are feeling and how they can be better together.
“Just to have those conversations and to realize that racism is not dead, it’s just a little subversive these days,” he said. “People are still really facing an uphill battle because of the color of their skin in our country and we have to do better as white people or people of influence just letting people know that it’s not OK to do those things and find a way to lift people up out of situations where they are being looked down on.”
Hekker said he was born in suburban Seattle and went to Oregon State, which are “not two of the biggest hotbeds of ethnic diversity,” but says football has helped him experience that and become close with people of other ethnicities.
You can watch Hekker’s full interview with Rome below.