Washington Redskins' head coach Ron Rivera issued a statement on the murder of George Floyd; announces virtual town halls and Black Engagement Network (B.E.N.).
“Two weeks ago, a man sworn to protect us murdered George Floyd in the streets of Minneapolis. This act of pure violence and hate sparked massive protests across the country and people everywhere banded together in solidarity with the Black Community.
Right here in our backyard, the nations capital, Washington D.C. there were massive protests, demonstrations outside of the White House, and Pennsylvania Avenue was even transformed into Black Lives Matter Plaza.
I was proud of our community for joining together to condemn these societal issues that have faced our community for far too long. I was especially proud of two of our young players: Dwayne Haskins and Chase Young. Dwayne headed into D.C. last weekend to take part in the protests and gain a better understanding of how he can make a difference. Chase took part in the call to action video that some of the top players in our league created last week.Their message was powerful and one that every fan of this league should support.
I have been tasked with leading this entire organization and I have always believed in the mantra that actions speak louder than words. I wanted to share with you all our internal plan that will allow our entire organization to come together, let their voices be heard and ultimately take action.
We have created a town hall program led by six members of our organization: Doug Williams, Dr. Monica Paige our team psychologist, our Senior Director of Player Personnel Malcolm Blacken, our Team Chaplain Pastor Brett Fuller, Coach Jennifer King who was formerly a police officer before shifting into the coaching world and Asa Winborne.
Everyone in the organization from the front office and players to the ticket sales reps can take part in these discussions. These town halls will give our employees a chance to share experiences, build comradery with colleagues they may have not yet crossed paths with and ultimately come up with actionable items that we can do to make our communities safer for people of color. I’ve spoken at length with Mr. Snyder about these topics and he has agreed to kick start this program with a $250,000 donation.
We have also started the Washington Redskins Black Engagement Network. This network will work to strengthen the Washington Redskins’ commitment to Black employees through professional development, career management, mentoring, networking, an inclusive work environment and community outreach, while creating an inter-cultural understanding of Black employees.
B.E.N. will work with organization executives and leadership to provide support, education and racial equality initiatives in communities across the Washington DC metro area where our employees live and work.
These past two weeks have been a mix of emotions for me. I am saddened by how hurt the Black Community is by what has transpired. I am proud of everyone who is on the right side of this fight against social injustice.
I am eager to help in any way I can in making a difference.
Lastly, I am honored to work at an organization with so many people who want to change our society for the better. Black Lives matter. We can’t be afraid to say it. I will say it again. Black Lives matter.”
Recently, the NFL apologized for not taking the issue of police brutality and the murder of Black people at the hands of mostly white police officers seriously.
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick lead the charge to bring awareness to the issue in 2016 by kneeling during the National Anthem.
However, as the world witnessed the grotesque murder of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers play out over and over on national television and the subsequent actions of thousands (perhaps millions) of people from all walks of life, from around the globe, coming together to denounce police misconduct and systemic racism, the league has finally gotten a conscience.
Some argue the apology is more about saving face than putting a face forward to address an issue that has plagued American society for far too long.
As the saying goes, silence equals complicity.
But this type of complicity can't live here any more and never should have stakeholders asking, What if I was George Floyd?
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