The ongoing unrest over racial injustice in America has been inextricably woven into the Bears’ season, and some players have kept it at the forefront at Halas Hall rather than use football as an escape.
As they got ready for practice Thursday afternoon, running backs David Montgomery and Cordarrelle Patterson reeled from the announcement that no one was charged in the shooting death of Black woman Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky. She was killed when police stormed her apartment in March, and the only charges were three counts of wanton endangerment by one officer.
It reiterated to Montgomery and Patterson it’s unsafe to be Black and there’s no guarantee of fair legal treatment.
“Being scared to be who I am just because of the color of my skin and... fearing if I was to get pulled over by a cop or if anything were to happen to me, I wouldn’t know if it’d be the last breath that I’d be taking,” Montgomery said. “It’s scary. We’ve just got to keep fighting and challenging those who need to be challenged so that we can get it fixed and changed.”
The Bears have engaged racial topics throughout the last few years and established a player-led social justice committee. Coach Matt Nagy shut down meetings in May to have a team discussion about the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, and players boycotted a practice last month after police shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.
Many players have kneeled, raised a fist or remained in the locker room during the national anthem this season to protest inequality and police brutality.
Multiple players said they anticipated having a team meeting about the Taylor decision.
Taylor’s death was ruled a homicide, but none of the three officers who fired their guns were charged with killing her. John Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove face no charges, and Brett Hankison’s three charges are the lowest level felonies in Kentucky and carries a sentence of 1-5 years per charge.
The City of Louisville settled a wrongful death suit by Taylor’s mother for $12 million two weeks ago.
The announcement of charges prompted protests in Louisville and throughout the country, including in Chicago. Two officers were shot during demonstrations in Louisville on Wednesday night.
Patterson brought up the Taylor decision before the media asked a single question, saying he thought the minor charges were “crazy” and were difficult to explain to his children.
“You never know how safe you are,” Patterson said. “We’re not untouchable — that’s what we have to understand. It happens to everybody in this world, no matter if you’re a pro athlete or not. It happens to everybody. Athletes, we’ve just gotta keep using our voice.
“It’s a hurtful thing. It’s sad what her family had to go through. We seen they gave them money, millions of dollars — that [stuff], it won’t bring her back. I don’t care anything about money; I just want my life and my family with me. I would never want to go through an experience like that.”
As heavily as it weighed on Patterson, he still has hope.
“I just have to keep educating my kids and keep preaching to them that it’s going to get better,” he said. “Because I do feel like it’s going to get better.
“I just look to the people who are trying to help us. And the people who ain’t, just stay [far] away. Because 2020 has already been a terrible year for everybody — people losing their jobs, everything. There is so much going on on top of this police stuff. So we’re trying to do better in 2020, and hopefully 2021 brings us great love and peace.”
