Seahawks G Damien Lewis Hoping to Honor Girlfriend's Father with Helmet Decal
Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, NFL teams and players have taken action in numerous ways to bring attention to the systemic racism and police brutality issues with hopes of inspiring real change.
Prior to the start of the regular season, Seahawks players made the decision to wear decals on their helmets honoring victims of systemic racism and police brutality throughout the 2020 season, hoping to raise awareness for social justice issues. Coaches also would have the opportunity to show their support for social justice efforts by wearing patches on their hats.
While many players on Seattle's roster donned the names of Floyd, Taylor, Arbery, and other well-known victims in the season opener in Atlanta last Sunday, rookie guard Damien Lewis has a far more personal connection he hopes to recognize starting this weekend against New England.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Lewis initially said he wore Taylor's name on his helmet last week to represent all of the innocent people who lost their lives due to police brutality. When asked if he'd have her name on his helmet again, the third-round pick out of LSU said "probably" at first, but then quickly changed his answer.
"I'll probably do my girlfriend - her father," Lewis replied. "She had police brutality too. He got shot 11 times in Chicago, so I'll probably go with him."
After initially not giving his name, Lewis said he wanted to honor Andrew Sledd, who had seven officers storm into his home in Hyde Park back in March 1989. Mistaking him for the wrong person and having the wrong address on their search warrant, he was shot nearly a dozen times and eventually rushed to the hospital.
Sledd was rushed to the hospital by an ambulance and after multiple surgeries, he miraculously survived, but the attack left him permanently disabled at the age of 23. At the time of the incident, Lewis' girlfriend was only a four or five year old toddler at the time.
"It happened way before my time," Lewis said, indicating his girlfriend told him the story shortly after they met.
Not long after the shooting, Sledd sued the seven officers involved in the illegal raid, claiming he grabbed a .22 caliber rifle out of self defense believing he was being robbed. He also claimed officers planted his home with cocaine and arrested him on a false narcotics charge. A settlement was eventually reached between the two sides.
With four days remaining until the Seahawks suit up against the Patriots, Lewis doesn't yet know if he will be able to wear Sledd's name. He plans to reach out to the appropriate people to see what needs to happen to have the name approved.
With commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL pledging to do everything it can to provide players with a platform to share their voices and influence change on these critical issues, however, not allowing him to honor someone who has such a tragic story would show the league's efforts aren't genuine.
