NFL players have teamed up for a player video condemning racism and systematic oppression, promising to speak up moving forward, and reminding everyone what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about.
The video comes at a time where there are nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
The video features a number of stars from across the league including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu, Cleveland Browns wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, and many more.
“I am George Floyd. I am Breonna Taylor. I am Ahmaud Arbery. I am Eric Garner. I am Laquan McDonald. I am Tamir Rice. I am Trayvon Martin. I am Walter Scott. I am Michael Brown Jr. I am Samuel Dubose. I am Frank Smart. I am Phillip White. I am Jordan Baker,” the players say in the video while naming black victims of police brutality and racism. “We will not be silenced. We assert our right to peacefully protest. It shouldn’t take this long to admit. So, on behalf of the National Football League, this is what we, the players, would like to hear you state:
“‘We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit wrong in silencing our players from peacefully protesting. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter.'”
You can check out the video below:
Floyd was killed after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on the back of his neck for nearly 8 minutes while Floyd pleaded for air. The ex-officer, Derek Chauvin, has been arrested had his charges upgraded to second-degree murder. The three other officers involved — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — have been fired by the Minneapolis Police Department and were also arrested and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
