Cleveland Browns Statement On Institutional Racism Largely Good, But Missing A Few Things

The Cleveland Browns released a statement from ownership that addressed the issues that have been going on in America for the past week sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew released a statement addressing what has been raging in the United States over the past week after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis as the Haslams own both teams.

Our statement with @ColumbusCrewSC: pic.twitter.com/WtomkIduKu

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) June 1, 2020

It's obviously difficult to produce that is perfect and truly encompasses the situation while trying not to offend anyone. And to the credit of the Browns and the ownership, they do get a lot right.

The statement address social justice and the challenges achieving it. They note the difficulty of impacting that from the perspective of one business and the Browns as an organization do have much to be proud on from that front. Not only are they one of the more progressive teams when it comes to hiring practices as well as their outreach when it comes to inner city schools and some of their other efforts, but they have done a great deal for players that needed help such as Josh Gordon.

It's a little unfortunate they never mention institutional racism or George Floyd's name. That's what this is about, but they never name it. And that's probably nitpicking, but it does seem important to acknowledge that very real issue, particularly now. And what they encourage and what they want to do is admirable, both in terms of empathy and simply listening.

Mentioning the name of Floyd or some of the other people who have been victims of this type of injustice puts a face on the issue and makes it real in a way that it otherwise might not for people. Tamir Rice is a name that resonates with Cleveland, since this is where the child was shot and killed and obviously touches on the same issue. 

It obviously doesn't address the police specifically either, opting for a larger message and tone. That's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world.

The actions of the Haslams as custodians of the Browns franchise when it comes to these issues has been better than this statement. More than they often receive credit. And while this will come off as a criticism (because it is), it's also in the hope that it spurs the Haslams into acting, where they have always been at their best since purchasing the team. The overall statement gets the beats of what's going on but the lack of specificity makes it less than what it could be. To be fair, a statement won't save the world  anymore than sports will, but it does offer to set a tone.

Hopefully, the Haslams do what they have in the past and respond by taking action. That might come in the form of a charity drive or another project to help the city and improve lives for African Americans in the city of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio in general.

The statement gets it mostly right, but hopefully it's the first step into a more active role from the organization in not only healing the city in this delicate time, but taking a leadership role in helping become the change they wish to see for African Americans in the region. Words matter, certainly, but the hope is they plan to act for the betterment of everyone in Cleveland. Since the Browns exist in a world with African Americans, both as players and personnel that deal with these issues while also relying on police to protect fans who attend their games, such actions could set a tone not only for the rest of the NFL but for Northeast Ohio as a whole.