It can be easy to forget that NFL athletes are humans just like the rest of us. So when tragedies happen in our country, it’s not fair to expect players to compartmentalize issues that we as a society deal with together.
As more controversial deaths of Black individuals at the hands of the police happen around the country, things have reached a boiling point over the past few days. The Detroit Lions cancelled practice and then the NBA canceled Wednesday night’s slate of playoff games.
Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and owner Arthur Blank have been among the most supportive of their players having the right to protest. Defensive end Steven Means attested to this, and gave a thoughtful look into the challenge of not letting emotions take over after each tragedy.
Courtesy of the team’s Twitter account, you can view Means’ full statement on staying focused on voting in order to create long-term change.
Please take a moment to listen.
Full Statement: https://t.co/M3ztx3aRJX pic.twitter.com/jIkvgiKE2x
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 27, 2020
