Members of the Players Coalition over the last few weeks have been "participating in voter registration drives and doing PSAs to encourage people to vote," according to Nancy Armour of USA TODAY. The midterms elections are next Tuesday, and some players are "planning to have a public presence in several cities, making one last effort to remind people of the importance of their vote." Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins said, "If we don't give the public a way to get involved other than point out the problems, we're not having the greatest impact that we can. The biggest impact we all have is our vote. ... This is the way to make our voices heard the loudest." Armour noted despite "frequent and often harsh criticism" of President Trump by the Players Coalition, this is "not a partisan effort." Jenkins said of the importance of voting, "The votes need to go to where the issues are. That's one of the things we think we have the opportunity to do right now. Not tell people which way to vote but educate them what is up. What are they voting for. What are the issues that are out there. And allow people to decide for themselves." Armour notes the Players Coalition has "focused on eliminating the laws, policies and attitudes that marginalize people of color" (USA TODAY, 10/30).
With the exception of the '17 season opener, Stills has knelt in every game he's played in since '16GETTY IMAGES
CONTROLLING HIS NARRATIVE: In Ft. Lauderdale, Omar Kelly reports Dolphins WR Kenny Stills has released a "revealing short documentary that attempts to explain the reasons behind his decision to kneel during the national anthem." Stills in the film said that he was "inspired to join" Colin Kaepernick's movement designed to "create awareness for social justice issues in America after finding himself distraught" over the '16 shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Stills: "I don't think people really understand what it's like to look in the mirror and feel like you're not important, nobody gives a s---. If you didn't play football you're irrelevant, because of your skin tone." Stills was one of four Dolphins who "knelt during the playing of the national anthem" in the '16 season opener, and with the exception of the '17 season opener, Stills has "knelt in every regular-season game he's played in since." He said that he feels like the NFL should be "doing a better job of educating the fan base about social justice issues" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 10/30).
PICK A SIDE: Panthers S Eric Reid following Sunday's game against the Ravens addressed the chasm between the Players Coalition and a group that includes Kaepernick and himself. ESPN's Bomani Jones said, "It becomes very clear the players bought a limit when it came to dealing with the owners in this case and it seemed clear the owners only cared about making the protests stop, not anything fundamental behind it." ESPN's Pablo Torre said, "Reid is now trying to essentially call Malcolm Jenkins to the table and say, 'Explain your side of things because here's how I saw it,' and he's also saying a reminder, 'Why do we trust the NFL on anything?'" Jones: "Once Malcolm Jenkins makes a deal with (the owners), is he doing the work of the players or is he then an extension of the NFL?" ("High Noon," ESPN, 10/29).
