Thanks to the protests Colin Kaepernick started a year ago, social justice has emerged as an important issue for the NFL.
Thanks to the protests Colin Kaepernick started a year ago, social justice has emerged as an important issue for the NFL.
On Tuesday, the league, which has been criticized for its apparent blackballing of Kaepernick, announced the formation of a new social justice committee that aims to tackle serious societal issues by steering resources to community organizations and initiatives.
“Let’s Listen Together” is intended to support initiatives across the country with a commitment from team owners and players to bolster programs that prioritize lifting up disadvantaged communities. The committee is a joint collaboration between players and owners that focuses on improving education, economic development, community and police relations, and the criminal justice system.
“The collaboration between the NFL and its players should be celebrated, as it’s the first professional league or entity that has taken the concerns of its players and put resources behind it,” former player Anquan Boldin said in a press release announcing the launch of the committee. “Our country has some real issues when it comes to social and racial equality that must be addressed. The only way these issues will get solved is to fight together.”
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The Let’s Listen Together working committee consists of team owners Michael Bidwill (Arizona), Arthur Blank (Atlanta), Jimmy Haslam (Cleveland), Shahid Khan (Jacksonville), and Stephen Ross (Miami). Player representatives include Jets Josh McCown and Kelvin Beachum, Washington’s Josh Norman, and former NFL players Boldin and Aeneas Williams.
“We as members of the league all have influence, but working together for real change and insisting on reform will only amplify our reach and our impact,” Beachum said. “In order to affect real change, we must begin the dialogue, elicit action, and demand accountability. The Players Coalition has provided the opportunity, and now the commitment, to open the dialogue and ensure that the narrative remains centered on the real issues.”
The announcement is the most recent example of the NFL showing it cares about the social issues its players are passionate about, all part of an evolving conversation that stems from the polarizing anthem protest movement.
Earlier this season, the Players Coalition worked to get the league to pledge almost $100 million to social justice organizations. The NFL Foundation also launched a new grant this week for current and former players to cultivate social justice programs of their own with local non-profits.
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“If we don’t commit resources to education and economic advancement then we’re missing the most important piece to sustainable growth, and have no chance of breaking a cycle that continues to leave people marginalized and underserved,” McCown said.
This season, NFL teams and players participated in more than 100 social justice events, according to the league. The NFL’s government affairs division has also been made available to the Players Coalition, and “players and clubs who are interested in criminal justice reform at the local, state and/or national level.”
“This working group and our Players Coalition task force are striving hard to change the narrative,” Norman said. “It’s about fostering wisdom and developing an understanding of your surroundings, your resources, and your options. We are a nation built on the backs of diverse people, led by diverse people; as a united people can reach out together and turn the key that unlocks the full potential of our country.”
