Patrick Mahomes, Tyrann Mathieu Among NFL Stars in Black Lives Matter Video to NFL Owners
On Thursday night, a coalition of black NFL players released a video discussing Black Lives Matter, police brutality and systemic racism, uniting to ask NFL owners for a list of requests.
The players spoke with a united voice, creating this message for the NFL and team owners:
"It’s been 10 days since George Floyd was brutally murdered. How many times do we need to ask you to listen to your players? What will it take? For one of us to be murdered by police brutality? What if I was George Floyd?
I am George Floyd.
I am Breonna Taylor.
I am Ahmaud Arbery.
I am Eric Garner.
I am Laquan McDonald.
I am Tamir Rice.
I am Trayvon Martin.
I am Walter Scott.
I am Michael Brown Jr.
I am Samuel Dubose.
I am Frank Smart.
I am Phillip White.
I am Jordan Baker.
We will not be silenced. We assert our right to peacefully protest. It shouldn’t take this long to admit. So, on behalf of the National Football League, this is what we, the players, would like to hear you state: ‘We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black people. We, the National Football League, admit wrong in silencing our players from peacefully protesting. We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter.’”
In light of the NFL's choices during Colin Kaepernick's protest against the same issues, this is a clear deviation from the status quo of NFL stars, as they turn their eyes to ownership. Now, with Mahomes and Mathieu involved in this particular coalition, the Chiefs' official account has retweeted the video and Mahomes, Mathieu and other Chiefs seem likely to be involved in future statements and protests later this year and into the 2020 season.
