Deshaun Watson and two of his Houston Texans teammates attended the George Floyd march Tuesday to memorialize the life of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police May 25.
Outside linebacker Jacob Martin was present and handed out bottled water to attendees. Fellow linebacker Peter Kalambayi was also at the march.
“Drastic change, change the landscape of the world,” Martin said via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “How we think, how we proceed going forward, the days of yesterday, the days before this, the times we remember, after this, things won’t be the same. The reality is that this has been going on in the black community and to people of color for far too long. For generations growing up as a young African-American man, you’ve been afraid of police officers because of what your parents tell you and how to proceed. For that to be the case with a public servant, it’s ridiculous. That shouldn’t be the case. You shouldn’t have to have that conversation with your children. I pray that I don’t have to have that conversation with my children one day in the future.”
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner was appreciative of the presence of players from the city’s NFL franchise.
On June 5, 2018, coach Bill O’Brien told reporters after an organized team activities session that one of the things he admired about the players was their willingness to do more about social issues than just comment on social media.
“I think the people that disagree, just like we do here in our organization, we need to get in the same room and hear the different opinions instead of tweeting about it,” said O’Brien. “I think that’s where we have to all come together. I think that’s what our organization’s all about.”
