Roger Goodell NFL Commissioner, is under fire after his response to the nationwide protest against police brutality, which began after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
What We Know:
- NFL players and the community known on Twitter as “Black Twitter” were the ones to critize Roger Goodell’s statement after the NFL handling of Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest.
- In 2017, Kaepernick and safety Eric Ried filed a grievance against the league alleging they remained unsigned because of collusion by owners following the kneeling protest. Reid later signed with the Carolina Panthers the following year. Kaepernick’s lawyers and the NFL reached a private settlement for an undisclosed sum.
- This was the statemnt the NFL posted to Twitter on May 30th to address the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Abery and the widespreak outrage that has followed:
— NFL (@NFL) May 30, 2020
- “Shame on you. This is beyond hollow+disingenuous. This is a lie. Your actions show who you are,” said director Ava DuVernay. “You’ve done nothing but the exact opposite of what you describe here. Keep Mr. Floyd’s name out your mouth. Shame on you+ the consultants’ of this travesty of an organization.”
- Texans Wide Receiver Kenny Stills, who is one of the few players who continue to kneel on the sidelines during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, tweeted “Save the bull***”.
- Since the blackballing of Kaepernick, the NFL has made efforts to support social justice initiatives, including the creation of an “Inspire Change” campaign and partnership with rapper Jay-Z. Even those efforts were critizied by players as disingenuous.
“When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction. The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have a right to fight back! rest in power George Floyd” Kaepernick responded on social media.
