Wilkins Shares Personal Police Violence Story

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said he felt the need to share his personal story relating to police violence in light of what's happening in the country

Jonathan Dyer-USA Today Sports

Several NFL players have shared their feelings about the current events in the country dealing with race relations and police violence, and Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins jumped into the fray Wednesday with his own, very personal experience.

Dolphins fans probably know by now the story of Wilkins' grandfather, whose memory Wilkins honored at Clemson by wearing number 42, the year of his birth.

"The best thing about me playing the beautiful game of football is it gives me a great platform," Wilkins posted on Instagram. "With this platform I have always aspired to use my influence to give people hope and to impact this world positively. There does not seem like a more appropriate time than now for me to do just that."

"Whats happening in our country right now will always be personal for me. In my 24 years of life, I have witnessed immediate family and close friends have negative encounters with law enforcement. It has hurt me to see them go through these experiences. That pain reached an all time high when the man I loved most in the world was taken from my family.

"On January 5, 2011, my grandfather Eurie Stamps Sr., was unarmed and shot and killed on the floor in his own home by a Framingham SWAT member. This was said to be a 'mistake' as the officer slipped and fired accidentally. When you break down the word MIStake, you get 'Miss' & 'Take' as they missed the mark & took my granddad. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him. ...

"In the midst of chaos I wanted to bring a message about community and optimism. People may ask me how I am able to strive, but the truth is it's a struggle. I battle daily for success; because I'm doing it for him. There are a million reasons to give up ... but you only need one to get up. For me it's honoring the memory of my granddad.

"I carry the pain of my family & other black victims of police brutality. Social injustices like this is why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream & Colin Kaepernick took a knee."

Wilkins added the following message to his post: "All lives can't matter until Black Lives Matter. Everybody do your part. Let's make a difference" with the hashtags #justiceforgeorgefloyd #euriestampssr and #GPA42.

Among the more than 7,500 likes the Instagram post got were some by teammates Davon Godchaux, Nik Needham, Sam Eguavoen, Raekwon Davis, Raekwon McMillan, Jason Strowbridge, Xavien Howard, Blake Ferguson and Matt Haack.