Thanks in large part to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sharing his reasons for not standing during the national anthem, the topics of inequality, race relations and the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve have gotten a lot of discussion around the NFL this season.
The Giants have been one of the teams having those discussions and Wednesday saw about 25 players join coach Ben McAdoo, General Manager Jerry Reese and other executives at a meeting with Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. Running back Rashad Jennings invited Booker, saying the players wanted to talk with someone who could “point us in the right direction in terms of the possibilities for us” to take action.
“We’ve been informed, and it’s new information that we needed,” Jennings said, via the New York Times. “We can now collectively take that information into the locker room and have these kinds of conversations with the guys. And now we can pinpoint and target some things. We can’t do everything; we know that. But it’s a start to begin focusing in on some of the things we want to do from our locker room. Athletes can have a lot of power if they have conviction and are willing to take the appropriate steps after they speak.”
Booker said he saw “thoughtfulness and a love of this country” in the conversation and found that the players “wanted to explore where they can make a difference” off the field.