A team of four current and former NFL players is lobbying commissioner Roger Goodell to engage the league in fighting for the cause of social justice, even asking him to formally designate November as activism awareness month.
Current players Michael Bennett (Seattle Seahawks), Torrey Smith (Philadelphia Eagles), and Malcolm Jenkins (Philadelphia Eagles), along with former player Anquan Boldin, sent Goodell and another executive a 2,800-word memorandum in August requesting the league invest significant resources in the cause. The memo, available in full here, is specific and thoughtful, but its requests would almost certainly prove divisive among fans, many of whom are already wary of players’ incorporating their activism into gamedays.
From Yahoo’s report:
The memo was divided into three major parts: an overview of current player activism; a call for specific efforts and resources from the NFL to aid that activism; and a request for a league-wide initiative dedicating the month of November to activism awareness – similar to the league’s support of National Breast Cancer Awareness month…. It finished with several pages of an addendum detailing specific aspects of criminal justice reform the players believe are necessary, including police accountability and transparency, bail reform, the criminalization of poverty and other areas.
The addendum includes a subsection on “Police Accountability and Transparency” that invokes the politically-charged deaths of Trayvon Martin and Alton Sterling. “Over the last several years, grassroots activists have pushed for change in the face of considerable push-back from police unions and other law enforcement,” it reads. “We need advocates to push for reform on the national level and locally, where groups are demanding oversight boards and better training, and are begging prosecutors to hold law enforcement accountable.”
The players highlight their outreach to law enforcement in the memo itself. “Through Police/Community Relations & Engagement, we are working with grassroots organizations and police directly through various efforts to build trust within our communities and increase educational and employment opportunities,” they wrote.
Bennett, Smith, Jenkins, and Boldin propose that Goodell, along with “other interested owners, coaches and GM’s” participate in a “Listen & Learn tour” to meet with “grass-roots organizations, policy makers/non-profit leaders, police, families in the community and formerly incarcerated individuals.”
Two league sources told Yahoo the memo “came on the heels of Goodell talking directly with several players in August – including some who have protested on game day – in an effort to move player activism into a progressive direction.”
Directly involving the league in political activism would be a step in the wrong direction for Goodell. If tuning into November games means fans have to enjoy their football with a side of politically-charged commentary on racial justice, the NFL should expect more fans to tune out altogether. From a business perspective alone, it’s unwise.
But more importantly, it’s also unwise because Americans should be able to come together for football games without being asked to support political causes that would clearly tread on divisive territory. Though there may be room for bipartisanship on criminal justice reform, the scope of the activism outlined in the memo is broader and involves more controversial matters as well.
As a force of unity, the NFL should focus on strengthening its capacity to unite Americans, not sacrificing that power to indulge players with sincere, but ultimately divisive, political agendas.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
