On Thursday evening, a number of NFL players released a collaborative video addressing the death of George Floyd and the numerous other names the American collective has learned due to horrific circumstances. In the video, players also stated what they wanted to hear from the National Football League. Among their concerns, was an understanding of the systemic oppression facing African-Americans to this day, as well as the acknowledgement that black lives matter.
Friday afternoon, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded.
In a short video statement, the commissioner addressed the camera, his players, and the country:
We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange pic.twitter.com/ENWQP8A0sv
— NFL (@NFL) June 5, 2020
Goodell does hit some strong points in this video. In addition to the acknowledgement of the systemic racism still facing African-Americans, and the declaration that black lives matter, he also states that the league supports peaceful protest, along with Goodell’s declaration that he “personally protest[s] with the players.” The commissioner highlights that there would be no league without African-Americans, and that the protests we are seeing across the country are “emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality, and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff.”
The commissioner went on to declare that “we are listening, I am listening, and I will be reaching out to players who have raised their voices and others on how we can improve for a better and more united NFL family.”
Of course, Goodell’s video message has to be viewed through the context of history. Back in 2017 when the pregame protests were again on the national stage, the commissioner seemed far too eager to simply move on from the issue. In an interview he gave with Bloomberg News in November of 2017 Goodell stated that “[w]We want to get to a point where we can actually make positive change, because people come to our stadiums to have fun, to be entertained, not to be protested to. I’ve been clear about this. The anthem, respect for our flag is really important, so I want to see players stand. Players repeat over and over again this isn’t about disrespect for our flag or military or our veterans. And I believe them. But they also have to understand that it is interpreted much differently on a national basis.”
In this video message, however, Goodell seems to move beyond this. He outlines how he not only supports their protests, but is in fact protesting with them. Time, of course, will tell how far the commissioner goes with his protesting.
Two words, in many eyes, were missing from the statement.
Any discussion of the pregame protests inevitably circles back to the man that started them, Colin Kaepernick. The quarterback continues to be on the outside of the league looking in, and if a team were to take the step of signing him, it might go a long way towards showing that the league really is listening to its players. Goodell’s failure to mention Kaepernick in his message is not going to sit well with a majority of players, in all likelihood.
However, it seems that the commissioner and the larger NFL community are actually listening to the players who are speaking out, rather than focusing on the method chosen to bring awareness to these issues. Again, back in 2017 the focus was on the act of kneeling – an act people often forget was suggested by Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret, after meeting with Kaepernick – and not the underlying message.
Goodell’s statement, along with so many others we have seen this week, seems to indicate that he has finally heard the deeper message.