To many, the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Floyd - and the ensuing protests that left a trail of tears and tear gas in their wake - signaled a tipping point in America. Michael Thomas, Ed Reed, Mark Ingram, Cameron Jordan, Doug Baldwin, Jamal Adams, LeBron James and Stephen Jackson - a close friend of Floyd’s - were among the many athletes who expressed confusion, dismay or anger over Brees’ insensitivity. Raw emotion erupted in forceful waves of social media scorn, as the future Hall of Famer’s own teammates joined a chorus of critics that spanned sports leagues. Lip service no longer is being tolerated. ![]() (Regardless of what Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio may have assumed.) And yet even with the NFL’s attempts at leveling the playing field, most notably through tweaks of the Rooney Rule (the most recent proposal coming last month), the league’s power structure reflects the same racial inequities that exist in society. The dearth of black owners, general managers, personnel executives, head coaches and even black executives within the league office is an issue decades in the making. The league must also understand that addressing “these systemic issues” also means taking inventory of its own power hierarchy - a sea of mostly white faces. Their financial support needs to be tied to causes that are directly linked to the specific conditions of the black community - police brutality, social justice and policy reform. It isn’t enough for billionaires to simply donate money. The NFL can’t be blinded by the bottom line at the expense of social progress if it wants to prove it truly understands its power in communities. But the timing of it - immediately following a football season overshadowed by player protests during the national anthem - sparked well-deserved skepticism. To their credit, the league and individual teams have donated millions in recent years to various initiatives and community-outreach programs, and in January 2019, the NFL created its social justice platform, Inspire Change.
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