Some of the most notable black athletes in the NFL took aim at the league Thursday in a video showing support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
From Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes to Odell Bechkam Jr. and Ezekiel Elliott, the bold message demanded that the league admit it silenced Colin Kaepernick and others who kneeled during the National Anthem in a “peaceful protest.”
According to TMZ, the montage was created by New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas in response to comments made by teammate Drew Brees that kneeling during the National Anthem “disrespects” the American flag.
Other notable names in the video include Saquon Barkley, Jarvis Landry, DeAndre Hopkins, Tyrann Matheiu and DeSean Watson.
“How many times do we need to ask you to listen to your players?” Mathieu asks.
The players asked if it would take one of them getting killed as a result of police brutality for the NFL to take action.
Several players then asked, “What if I were George Floyd?” referencing the black man who was killed on Memorial Day by a Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
The players then proceeded to emphatically declare they are black men who have been killed: Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, LaQuan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Walter Scott, Michael Brown Jr., Samuel Dubose, Frank Smart, Phillip White and Jordan Baker.
#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/sfwF9Uvgaa
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) June 5, 2020
“We will not be silenced. We assert our right to peacefully protest.”
The video concludes with the demand, “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.’”
