Chase Young Lends His Voice
On Thursday morning, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley posted a video urging the NFL to take a more definitive stance in the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
The video clip lasted a little over one minute, and featured some of the league’s biggest stars. Players such as Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, Odell Beckham Jr., Ezekiel Elliott and Tyrann Mathieu were all featured in the post.
In unison, the message was shared:
“We, the players of the National Football League, would like to hear you state that we condemn racism, and the systematic oppression of black people. We admit wrong in silencing our players from peacefully protesting. And we believe that Black Lives Matter.”
What’s notable for Redskins fans and the DMV area is that rookie edge rusher Chase Young was also included the message. Proving that not only is he willing to be an advocate to the movement, but his colleagues understand his social impact as the second overall pick in the draft.
Being a player of his standing comes with many benefits and rewards, including endorsement deals and access to elite company. And some players are reluctant to “rock the boat” in terms of sharing their beliefs, due to fear of tarnishing their brand.
It’s nice to see him not shy away from using his platform to deliver important messages. In fact, he seemed happy to do it.
It has been nearly 24 hours since the players have called the NFL to action, and no formal statement has been published by the league in response. Instead there have been several retweets highlighting various team statements and donations.
To be fair, three hours prior to Barkley’s post the NFL made a statement addressing the current social crisis and their commitment to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The league highlighted their implementation of the “Inspire for Change” program, which supports organizations that combat systemic racism.
They also highlighted the financial contributions they donated thus far, and upcoming further contributions.
But did they fully touch on what the player’s requested? It’s up for you to decide.
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George Carmi is an editor/contributing writer to FullPressCoverage.com or @FPC_Redskins. He is a native of the DC metropolitan area and is an avid fan of DC Sports. A former journalism major at the University of Maryland, his focus is now in public education. His earliest memories consist of Darrell Green, "The Posse" and Super Bowl XXVI. Follow him on twitter @Gcarmi21
