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By Rickey Hampton, Editor and Founder of The African-American Athlete
Let me just say this. Until he shows otherwise, it is safe to say that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell doesn’t give a damn about the issues of social justice that some of the men who play in the National Football League do.
In August, four NFL players sent a letter to Goodell detailing some of the issues they would like to see the NFL address, including making November ‘Social Activism’ month.
Former NFL wide receiver Anquan Boldin, Michael Bennett of the Seahawks, along with Malcolm Jenkins and Torry Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles, were all members of the ‘Players Coalition’. They wrote to Goodell in hopes of starting a dialogue with the league, and its owners, adressing issues of social justice. Part of the memo stated:
“As players whom have been advocating for social justice for the past year, we appreciate the opportunity to engage with you, the league, owners, coaches and GMs to make our communities stronger.
“As we shared with you, the silence following our individual and collective demonstrations around the national anthem to raise awareness to racial inequality and issues surrounding criminal justice reform has been met with inconsistencies in press coverage and perceived lack of support. To recap our discussion, currently there are more than 40 active players who have participated in our “Players Coalition” to work on criminal justice reform on various levels.”
Click here to read the entire memo.
Goodell responded to their outreach in a statement saying he was ‘grateful’ for the players sharing their experiences and working to bring communities ‘together’. There was nothing in Goodell’s response that indicated the league would be interested in working on issues of social justice and activism with the players.
Of course, Goodell represents the same 32 owners who have ‘whiteballed’ Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled in silent protest during the national anthem before the start of games last season to protest issues of social justice.
It is clearly evident the white ownership of the NFL doesn’t have any interest in such issues. Nor, do they want anyone around who takes on those issues. That is why Kaepernick, who is clearly superior to the vast majority of NFL quarterbacks, can’t get a job.
It is Goodell’s job to protect the NFL’s shield. His job is to make sure the game continues to grow, which is not the current case. So far this year the NFL ratings are down, and there are people in the black community and beyond who refuse to watch in protest of the obvious collusion by the league to ban Kaepernick.
Honestly, I didn’t expect anything but a tepid response from Goodell. He, and the owners want the players to just shut up, and play ball.
But one thing the NFL and its owners have overlooked. They thought that if you just allow these guys to make a little money, they would be unafraid to shake things up.
However, it is clear there are men in the NFL who not only want the money they have earned, but are unwilling to sit back and watch while others who are less fortunate suffer.
