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NFL News: Teams and Players Take Action

As the nation protests to help fight racial inequality, teams and players from the NFL have jumped into action. Colin Kaepernick, who was run out of the league for taking a knee, has been touted by many players as doing the right thing, even if it cost him his career.

The Denver Broncos, who came under fire for being involved in a donation that helped Denver police buy riot gear, took part in protests and spoke on racism and police brutality. Coaches and players joined forces in a downtown Denver protest.

Players wore shirts saying “Justice for George Floyd” on the front and “If you ain’t with us, you against us” on the back. Kareem Jackson, a safety for the team, was the leader in organizing the team. A few of the players and coaches even spoke at the amphitheater where the protest was held.

Although he did not join the team at the protests, John Elway said he wouldn’t stay on the sidelines and would support his players in working towards racial equality. The Denver general manager said, “joining with the players, coaches and our organization in speaking up against racism, police brutality and any injustice against the black community.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars did their part by holding a march to the sheriff’s office in Jacksonville. The march started at TIAA Bank Field and made its way to the sheriff’s office.

Wide receiver Chris Conley said “Today We Say No More” was the team’s slogan. “We see a nation and a city that can’t wait to change, a city that won’t stay quiet.”

Backtracking

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says he was wrong to not listen to the players when they spoke out on the issue in the past. Goodell issued a strong video statement hitting on the importance of African-American players to the NFL and that the league will do more to support equality.

Drew Brees, who made a giant misstep early in the week by saying that no one should protest during the national anthem, walked back his comments a day later. After hearing from some of his teammates, he said that he understood that the protest wasn’t about the anthem and more about making a point about inequality.

He even went on to debunk President Donald Trump’s tweet that said Brees should have stayed with his original statement, a move that will help get him back into the good graces of his teammates. Brees, who is a Trump supporter, talked about having a better understanding of the difficulties of not only his black teammates but the black community in general.

Akiem Hicks, star defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, says he didn’t kneel in fear of being blackballed from the league like Kaepernick. He said many players wanted to join the protests but didn’t pull the trigger because of fear of losing their jobs.

When asked about his reasoning for thinking Kaepernick was blackballed, Nicks hilariously said, “We signed Mike Glennon.” I think that is reason enough for all of us to agree that something was going on behind the scenes.

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