With many teams deciding to boycott on Thursday in wake of the police shooting of James Blake, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Thursday practice session was delayed. However, after meeting for hours the team decided to proceed with practice after the following statement was made by coach Doug Marrone.
DOUG MARRONE:
“This morning, our players and coaches met for over two hours, and we continued the discussion around creating actionable change in our communities.
We will be on the field at 11 a.m. for practice.”@Jaguars HC Doug Marrone will address the media this afternoon.
— Tad Dickman (@TDickman89) August 27, 2020
Last night, the Milwaukee Bucks made a statement by boycotting their playoff game against the Orlando Magic to shed light on police brutality and other racially sensitive issues.
The team then released the following statement:
“Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protestors. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.”
The Bucks were the catalyst for the wider sports world to pause and stand in solidarity against systemic racism in the United States. Since their announcement Wednesday night, other NBA and WNBA games were boycotted. Additionally, the MLB, other NFL organizations, players from the professional Tennis realm, and others in the sports community have stated they will cancel or postpone some of their activities to use their platform to continue important discourse about racial injustices.
The Jaguars practice field was empty this morning, leading many to speculate that Jacksonville would join the likes of the Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and the Washington Football Team in cancelling today’s football activities. However, the team ultimately came to the decision to practice.
In the near future, the team will undoubtedly continue to express their solidarity with the sports community, which has dedicated a lot of effort towards civil rights for African Americans and other minorities. In fact, back in May they held a march following the tragedy of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of an Indianapolis policeman named Derek Chauvin and three other officers. Owner Shad Khan also released an essay addressing racism and stated that he’d continue to hold meetings with the Jags about approaches for change.
