Bruce Arians on Racism Protests: 'Don't Stop'
The sports world continues to take a back seat to the current social climate, as demonstrations continue to rise up all over the world in protest of racism and police brutality in the United States.
During a live video conference call with the media Thursday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians shared his thoughts on the current events.
“It’s sickening. We all know when we see something that’s horrific and wrong,” Arians said of the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. “The events, especially the last three events, are wrong. They’re murders. Hopefully, justice will be served, quickly.”
Arians likened the current situation to riots he saw in the late 1960s, in his hometown of York, Pennsylvania, as well as other events from that time period.
“There are times when I think we haven’t made any progress since 1968, when the National Guard was running down the streets of my hometown, and watching what went on then, the murder of Dr. (Martin Luther) King and Bobby Kennedy,” Arians said. “What’s really improved since then? But a lot has. I think, right now, I love the fact that people are upset and raising their voices. But don’t stop.”
“It’s one thing to march and protest, but it’s another thing to take action,” Arians continued. “When the protesting’s over, I would urge everybody to take action. Do something positive to help the situation. Don’t just go back to being silent because then it’s going to happen again.”
The Bucs released a public statement Thursday on fighting against racism and systemic injustice in the wake of these recent events, and also announced they would be taking a moment of silence in honor of Floyd:
