NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doubled down on the league’s support for Black Lives Matter activism, including featuring social justice messages on end zones.
“The NFL stands with the black community, the players, clubs, and fans,” Goodell said Tuesday. “We will not relent in our work.”
“Confronting recent systemic racism with tangible and productive steps is absolutely essential … We will redouble our efforts to be catalysts for the urgent and sustainable change that our society and communities so desperately need,” he continued.
He added that “It Takes All Of Us” will be featured on one end line of football fields and “End Racism” will be on the other in every stadium this season. Players will also sport similar messaging on their helmets.
“I’m so proud of everyone across our league and others who have taken a stand using their voices and platforms to continue to shine the spotlight on things that must change. By listening and working and understanding with our players, we built the foundation for tangible change through our Inspire Change initiative,” Goodell said.
The statements come after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during an arrest.
Teams across different leagues postponed games last week in protest of the shooting, which NFL leadership said is the players’ right to do.
“The players want to see us leveraging the influence to hold officers that are bad officers to be held accountable,” said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations. “That access to meeting the [district attorneys] and access to meeting with local officials to truly address reform and training … There has been a lot of work done, but we still keep seeing the same image play out on television of unarmed black men being shot down.”
