Brian Flores Discusses Dolphins' Viral Video
The powerful video showing Miami Dolphins players talking about racial inequality and explaining the team's decision to stay in the locker room during the playing of the two anthems create quite a buzz when it was unveiled Thursday evening.
Head coach Brian Flores explained the video and his part in it Friday morning in a Zoom media session.
"It was a player-driven decision that came from a lot of conversations about trying to find a way to voice their opinions," Flores said. "It’s about issues that are important to the players, and we just decided to move forward with it. There are things that I’m supportive of as well. That’s why I joined in with them.”
Flores said owner Steve Ross was supportive of the video.
"I talked to Steve about the video," Flores said. "He was supportive. It was directed at everyone. I think every individual in this country can do a little bit player. That was the message. To try to misconstrue the message or take it in some other light ... we can all do better. We need to do better. What's happening in this country and around the world, we need change. It's something we've been saying for a long time. The video speaks for itself. From a message standpoint, it's that we can all do better."
Flores often has mentioned his own personal experiences with racial inequality from his days growing up in Brownsville, New York.
Flores is the last person who speaks in the video after 18 of his players recite a poem. His line was simple; "Before the media starts wondering and guessing, they just answered all your questions. We'll just stay inside."
While Flores didn't have all the details involved in the production of the video, he said Director of Player Engagement Kaleb Thornhill was a driving force in the project and that players wrote down ideas.
As for his role, Flores said, "I've been part of social justice conversations. As they were putting it together, they knew where I stand on a lot of these issues anyway. I was asked to say a line and I said it."
This was the poem recited by the players, a group that included Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, Ted Karras, Jesse Davis, Mike Gesicki, Bobby McCain, Davon Godchaux, Christian Wilkins, Byron Jones, Isaiah Ford, Eric Rowe and Patrick Laird:
Is it authentic? That’s the mystery. Or is it just another symbolic victory?
Now there’s two anthems. Do we kneel? Do we stand? If we could just right our wrongs, we wouldn’t need two songs.
We don’t need another publicity parade. So we’ll just stay inside until it’s time to play the game.
Whatever happened to the funds that were promised? All of a sudden we got a collapsed pocket? The bottom line should not be the net profit. You can’t open your heart when it’s controlled by your wallet.
Decals and patches. Fireworks and trumpets. We’re not puppets. Don’t publicize false budgets.
Ask the pundits and we shouldn’t have a say. If you speak up for change, then I’ll shut up and play.
If we remain silent, that would just be selfish. Since they don’t have a voice, we’re speaking up for the helpless.
It’s not enough to act like you care for the troops. Millions for pregame patriotism. You get paid to salute.
Lift every voice and sing? It’s just a way to save face. Lose the mask and stop hiding the real game face.
So if my dad was a soldier, but the cops killed my brother, do I stand for one anthem, and then kneel for the other?
This attempt to unify only creates more divide. So we’ll skip the song and dance. And as a team we’ll stay inside.
We need changed hearts. Not just a response to pressure. Enough. No more fluff and empty gestures.
We need owners with influence and pockets bigger than ours. To call up officials and flex political power.
When education is not determined by where we reside. And we have the means to purchase what the doctor prescribed.
And you fight for prison reform and innocent lives. And you repair the communities that were tossed to the side.
And you admit you gain from it, and swallow your pride. And when greed is not the compass, but love is the guide.
And when the courts don’t punish skin color, but punish the crime.
Until then, we’ll just skip the long production and stay inside. For centuries, we’ve been trying to make you aware.
Either you’re in denial, or just simply don’t really care. It’s not a black/white thing. Or a left/right thing. Let’s clean the whole bird, and stop arguing about which wing.
