Goodell’s message came as a wave of protests against police brutality and racism continued across the United States following
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted Friday the league had been wrong to silence player protests as it responded to calls from a group of players to issue an explicit condemnation of racism. In a video message posted on social media, Goodell said the league would now support peaceful protests from players in future.
Goodell’s message came as a wave of protests against police brutality and racism continued across the United States following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. “It has been a difficult time for our country,” Goodell said. “In particular, black people in our country.”
“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter.”
The NFL had been criticized for a statement released last Saturday which failed to directly reference racism or police brutality.
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On Thursday, a group of several prominent NFL players including Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Odell Beckham Jr released a video demanding that the NFL condemn racism and support protest.
