After Commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement of support for Michael Bennett’s cause, regardless of the facts of his case with the Las Vegas Police Department, some liberal sports writers see cause for hope, that the NFL, will turn to race activism.
On Wednesday, Bennett charged Vegas police with slamming him to the ground, holding a gun to his head, and threatening to “blow my f-ing head off” when officers entered a casino searching for a possible live shooter after last weekend’s Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight. Bennett is also claiming the police racially profiled him.
Late on Wednesday afternoon, the Vegas police held a press conference where they insisted that race played no part at all in the incident. Police also said an investigation into its officer’s actions is now underway.
By Wednesday evening, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had issued a statement on behalf of the league which was fully supportive of the player but also ignored the serious holes in Bennett’s claims.
On Thursday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote of his desire to see the NFL voice more support for their player-activists.
Florio praised Goodell’s statement, saying that it shows that the NFL is “finally is listening” to “issues of social justice and racial equality.”
Though, Florio goes on to say, “The next question becomes when or if the league will be doing more than that.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly has reached out to certain players who have been vocal about social issues — from Bennett to Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins to the Browns players who kneeled during the anthem at a preseason game.”
Florio then urged the league to issue, “More public statements of support for players who raise these concerns.”
The sports writer then went on to point out that fans refuse to see national anthem protests as legitimate: “Many fans can’t and won’t reconcile kneeling or sitting during the national anthem with legitimate efforts to promote important issues of social equality.”
To get away from that dilemma, Florio feels that the league as a whole should end the anthem protests and replace them with league wide, overt activism.
Florio wrote, “Perhaps the league should try to find a way to allow players to make their concerns known apart from the brief period when they can stand out by not standing.”
Florio then urged the league to actively lobby teams to sign Colin Kaepernick whether they want him or not. Florio opines that, “Goodell should be urging teams to consider Kaepernick without regard to the protests and to embrace the message that adding him to a roster would send, ignoring the potential backlash and shrugging at the tired notion of ‘distractions,’ which often is code for not signing a guy the coach or someone else in the organization doesn’t want.”
To liberal sports writers, sports is not about the game. It’s about the liberal agenda the game can help push.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.