Chicago Bears chairman George H. McCaskey released a statement Monday in response to the tragic murder of George Floyd and the protests happening around the country, including in Chicago.
McCaskey noted that there was an internal discussion with players on Monday, which many have voiced their thoughts about on social media. The Bears were one of the first NFL teams to create a player-led social justice committee, which serves the city of Chicago. And McCaskey noted the importance of that social justice committee now more than ever.
For McCaskey and the Bears, the goal is to be “an active participant in change.”
Here’s McCaskey’s full statement:
A week ago another unarmed African-American man died at the hands of a white police officer. We are witnessing the anger and frustration play out in protests across the nation, including Chicago. We must do more than wring our hands and hope it doesn’t happen again. As an organization, we have addressed it internally by offering unconditional support to our family of staff, coaches and players, and today Ryan Pace and Coach Nagy spent the allotted two hours of team meeting time listening to and healing together with our players and the coaching staff. Through our voice, our actions and our resources, it is our obligation to lead. We will continue to work with our player-led social justice committee to provide funding and exposure to local organizations dedicated to empowering communities that have been oppressed for far too long. We’re proud to support organizations like BUILD Chicago, I Grow Chicago, My Block, My Hood, My City, and Youth Guidance, among others, who are doing great work in these communities and we encourage fans to partner with us in supporting them. Our commitment is to continue to be an active participant in change.
