LaFleur on Blake Shooting: ‘We Can’t Stand for This Any Longer’
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Disgusted over the shooting of a black man by police in Kenosha on Sunday, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur spoke with his leadership council after Monday’s practice to see how the team can help bring change.
“You know, it’s amazing to me that this is still happening,” LaFleur told reporters after the meeting. “So, wanted to get our guys’ perspective and try to float around some ideas on how we can make a difference and use our platform, because things have to change. The social injustice, the police brutality, the antiquated laws, just got to bring awareness to everybody that black lives matter. We can’t stand for this any longer.”
LaFleur, who was part of a video put together by the team in the wake of the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis, learned of the shooting of Jacob Blake via a text message with a link to the video. As of Monday afternoon, Blake was in serious condition after being shot at least seven times.
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“When you watch something like that, it’s just so disgusting,” LaFleur said. “It’s disturbing. I watched it once, and I just don’t even know what to think. I know I don’t know all the facts around the case but it keeps happening over and over and over again. It blows my mind that we’re sitting here in 2020 and we can’t treat everybody the same. I don’t know. I’m just kind of at a loss for words.”
According to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, tight end Marcedes Lewis got the ball rolling on the team’s conversation about what role it can play following the incident, which took place about 2 1/2 hours south of Green Bay.
“Like we talked about in the [Floyd] video that we put out, there’s a systemic problem, and until the problem is fixed, this is going to be an all-too-common sighting in this country,” Rodgers said. “I’m not going to comment directly on the [Blake] video until more facts come out but, obviously, it’s something where as a non-police officer, I think what a lot of us naturally question is when is lethal force necessary? Again, I think that goes to a systematic problem that needs to be addressed at some point. There’s antiquated laws that are prejudicial against people of color in this state.”
Rodgers was careful not to indict police officers in general, noting “one action by a cop doesn’t mean that every cop is unfit for duty or racist.” Rodgers hopes the good police officers join those speaking out against violence to help bring about change.
As he’s said before, no solutions to society’s problems can be found until there’s a real conversation. That conversation begins with listening.
“I’ve always tried to listen first, and listening involves being silent,” Rodgers said. “I think there’s too many opinions. There’s an entitlement that comes with a lot of opinions. There’s a lot of opinions and statements made out of emotion. When you react first out of emotion, you lack the ability to listen. I think in listening, you find that empathy. And it’s only through empathy and understanding that you can truly I think have a better awareness about kind of what the actual issues are, being a white male. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for years.
“I grew up playing sports, playing basketball. I never saw color. It was just my friends, and there was no difference, but when you start listening and understanding, you realize the reality that you grew up in is much different than the reality that many of my teammates have grown up in. I think that’s the first step toward educating yourself about what some of these issues are and the root of them. I’ll say it again - this is a systemic problem. Until the system’s changed, there’s not going to be a whole lot of change in this country.”
LaFleur spoke with pride about how his players have thrust themselves into the conversation in hopes of bringing something more tangible than awareness.
“This is bigger than football,” he said. “It’s awesome to know that we have some compassionate guys out there on this football team. They care about each other but also they care about just what’s going on in society. They’re a bunch of selfless guys. I’m just really proud of that group and I’m excited to see what we can come up with as a group.”
