The players who sent the memo to NFL comissioner Roger Goodell earlier this year said they haven’t gotten a response from the league per se, but that conversations have been productive.
Four players sent a memo to the league asking for the NFL’s support for an activism awareness month, in which players could continue their protests in support of racial equality and criminal justice reform.
“We haven’t gotten a reaction just yet,” Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said, via ESPN.com. “Hopefully we’ll have another meeting in the near future. Hopefully something comes out of it.
“But it’s just the thought of a lot of players coming together and having some ideas about how we can move forward and be able to impact the communities around the United States in cities that NFL teams are in, is just what it’s about.”
Bennett, along with Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and wide receiver Torrey Smith and retired wide receiver Anquan Boldin, drafted the 10-page memo in August. The league’s not commenting on the specifics, saying the conversations are private.
But the league has previously devoted months or periods of time to breast cancer awareness and military recognition (and selling you stuff to prove how much they care), so the idea of a coordinated effort is not new. But players hope to steer the league’s incredible visibility and marketing savvy toward a new set of issues.
Jenkins called it an “opportunity for us, being a sport that brings people together naturally to also use that ability to actually effectuate some real change.”
“One of the main things for us is changing the narrative and controlling the narrative,” Jenkins said. “I think one of the reasons you’ve seen players protesting is because there is no bigger platform than the NFL. And to be able to use that exposure and educate people to what’s going on around the communities is huge. That can be even more amplified if the NFL actually steps in and helps aid that education to the public about what’s going on in these cities that NFL stadiums are in.”
While the general relationship between Goodell and players hasn’t always been friendly, Bennett said he’s “never had an issue with him,” and “We’ve always had good conversations since I’ve known him.”
Smith said the NFL could benefit from partnering with the player movement, since some believe the backlash from protests such as former (for some reason) quarterback Colin Kaepernick has contributed to declining ratings, though the reasons for several of the protests might not be clearly understood.
“And guys are fighting for what’s right,” Smith said. “I think if it was something that put people in a bind, I would understand. I think it’s also important because the league catches a lot of heat for protests and things like that, so it’s important for people to know there’s work being done beyond the protest, just as it’s important for people to know that it’s not an anti-police or anti-military thing. It’s just about finding solutions to issues we’re having.”
Once the memo leaked, the NFL was painted into a bit of a corner. Not participating in some meaningful way now would foster the impression they’re not concerned about the issues that matter to the majority of their workforce, while they use their promotional ability for other causes that seem less controversial.