Monday's Eagles Meetings Strike Chord with Jake Elliott, Jason Kelce
The Eagles were back to work on Monday for another week of virtual meetings and workouts, but this was far different than any of the previous weeks.
By all accounts, there wasn’t much football talk taking place.
No X’s and O’s, dime and nickel package explanations, nothing but the reality of what is going on in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, who lay helpless on the ground in a Minneapolis street last week begging for his life while former police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on the back of Floyd’s head for about eight minutes.
Eagles kicker Jake Elliott sent out a tweet giving an inside look at what went on during Monday’s virtual Eagles meetings.
Elliott’s tweet read:
“As I sat in our virtual team meeting this morning and listened to some of my black teammates share their thoughts and experiences related to what is going on, I am truly heartbroken. Devastated for my brothers and everyone directly effected by racism in America. IT IS A PROBLEM.”
Elliott’s tweet continued: “and that is obvious. Being a white male I’ll never be able to understand or relate but I stand behind you 100%. I am here to listen and learn in anyway I can. Sports has always been a platform that has brought all races together and I am beyond thankful for that. I’ve learned a lot in The City of Brotherly Love and one thing for certain is that we are Stronger Together. I love you all. #BlackLivesMatter”
Floyd’s death has led to protests, violence, and looting across the nation.
There was more of the same in cities across America on Monday, including Philadelphia, where there were incidents of police using tear gas in some areas where protesting took place.
It’s not going away, nor should it, until intelligent discourse on the racial divide in this nation takes place.
In an Instagram post, Eagles center Jason Kelce wrote:
The systemic racism in the nation has been going on far too long for any sort of quick fix.
49ers cornerback Richard Sherman was encouraged, however, by several white quarterbacks in the NFL and college making their voices heard.
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was the first to speak up about the death of Floyd and what it has triggered. Bengals rookie Joe Burrow and Cowboys veteran Andy Dalton followed Wentz’s lead, as did Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.
Sherman texted with the MMQB’s Albert Breer and Breer wrote about what is happening as the lead to his weekly column.
It can be found here:
Sherman told Breer: “I’m impressed with the white QBs speaking up because those are voices that carry a different weight than the black voices for some people. Which means the people who refuse to listen to a black athlete’s perspective will hear the same thing said from a white athlete, but receive the message much differently.
“So it’s awesome that more people are speaking out, because, in sports, you really have a love and appreciation for your fellow man, regardless of race. And I think that’s what makes sports and teams so special because a lot of the stereotypes are torn down. You really get to know one another, not judge based off nonsense.”
