The possibility of dialogue centered around social change among NFL players, law enforcement and community leaders is "gaining momentum," and the NFL "confirmed it was looking at ways to help promote a series of discussions," according to Josh Peter of USA TODAY. NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said, "We have spoken to a number of leaders and organizations across the country to explore ways the NFL could help foster discussions in our communities." Noted sociologist Harry Edwards, who also consults with the 49ers, said that he had spoken to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "about the proposed campaign." He added the league is "very receptive to being a responsible corporate citizen and using this phenomenal megaphone that they have." Peter reports among those "helping spearhead the effort" also is Jocelyn Benson, CEO of RISE, a "nonprofit organization dedicated to improving race relations" founded by Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross. Goodell is a member of the RISE BOD. Edwards said, "In generating the national discussion at a more intense level, I think [49ers QB Colin] Kaepernick has done this entire nation a tremendous service. But now it comes down to what are the next steps. And that has to happen down on the ground. It has to happen all over the country. We’ve got to get conversations going" (USA TODAY, 9/20).
FURTHERING THE CONVERSATION: ESPN's Ryan Clark this morning during an appearance on "Mike & Mike" wore a Kaepernick jersey, something ESPN's Mike Greenberg noted a "lot of people are going to react to.” Clark said he felt compelled to wear the jersey on-air today because Kaepernick has "initiated a conversation that I think needs to be had." Clark: "We don’t see the Seattle Seahawks lock arms -- where it’s white players, black players -- if not for Colin Kaepernick. I also think he’s providing hope, and what you don’t want to do is make people feel hopeless." He added Kaepernick is "showing people that there are people of influence that care." Clark: "I am smart enough to know that Colin Kaepernick is not going to change much. He's a football player, he doesn't own a football team. I do not own these airwaves, I do not produce this show. ... These are very little things. For me it’s about providing hope. For me it’s about supporting someone who has been attacked in many different angles and has legitimately done nothing wrong. So I want the conversation to continue. I want the ignorance to stop and I think if we start to learn about other cultures … we’ll learn how to sympathize and empathize with all people and not just our people." He added, "It was just an opportunity to show support and show people that this is still going on. Obviously with the incident in Tulsa, we see it’s still going on” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 9/20).
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Jenkins (c) spent the past week discussing
possible police initiatives |
JENKINS LATEST PLAYER TO MAKE STAND: In Philadelphia, Marcus Hayes reports Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins, CB Ron Brooks and DEs Steven Means and Marcus Smith "stood side-by-side with raised fists as the national anthem played" prior to last night's game against the Bears. Jenkins had spent the "past week discussing police and community initiatives with Philadelphia police commissioner Richard Ross, a continuing strategy of Jenkins, who met with Philly cops this summer about this very issue" before Kaepernick's actions brought wide attention to it. Hayes wrote the protest was "muted, and, frankly, rather hollow." Hayes: "It seemed to be very little; and very, very late." Jenkins "scoffed at that notion." He said, "Three weeks? Really? I don't think when you join in matters. The issue remains the same. Any time people bring up anything other than the topic, it's an opportunity to deflect." He said that he will "continue to raise his fist indefinitely" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 9/20). Jenkins admitted it "was a lonely feeling" while he stood with his fist in the air. Jenkins: "You feel like you're out there on the edge and you understand the consequences that are to come. But at the end of the day when your heart's in the right spot, it's easy to do it." No Bears players "showed any signs of protest" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 9/20).
SELECTIVE OUTRAGE? In S.F., Ann Killion writes politics are "everywhere in sports," so she wonders why people "get so angry when an athlete takes a political position." The NBA, NCAA and ACC all have moved events out of the state of North Carolina, and those are all "protest moves, intended to effect change." Killion: "You can take a cynical view that the NBA, NCAA and ACC simply don’t want to risk any financial backlash by being associated with discrimination. ... But the organizations are portraying their decisions as a form of protest." She continues, "You cannot separate sports from the real world. They are intertwined. So why shouldn’t athletes choose to use their voice and their platform?" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/20).
