After years of a spineless policy of appeasement, the league finally detached itself from the president and his exploitation of the flag and military
On Thursday night, a collection some of the NFL’s biggest stars released a video challenge to the league. A-listers including Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Odell Beckham spoke powerfully about the omnipresence of systemic racism against black Americans.
Then the players turned to the deep rift that has existed between players and owners ever since Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the national anthem in 2016 to protest against racism. They asked the NFL to apologize and recognize the current moment by putting out a statement with these words: “We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systemic oppression of black people. We, the NFL admit were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all that speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter.”
Related: ‘We were wrong’: Goodell admits NFL should have listened to players on protests
Related: Colin Kaepernick is the black Grinch for those who dream of a white America
