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"We, the National Football League, admit we
were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and
encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest," said Goodell.
"We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter."
The NFL has been locked in an ongoing debate with players over
kneeling protests during the customary pre-game playing of the
national anthem. The practice was popularized by quarterback
Colin Kaepernick, who is black, in 2016 to protest racial
injustice and police brutality.
Kaepernick, who in 2013 led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super
Bowl but lost to the Baltimore Ravens, filed a grievance against
the league in 2017, claiming collusion as no teams signed him
after he parted ways with the Niners. The NFL and Kaepernick
settled in 2019.
"Protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of
silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches,
fans and staff," said Goodell. "I will be reaching out to
players who have raised their voices and others on how we can
improve."
The NFL sent the video out just hours after U.S. President
Donald Trump renewed his call for an end to kneeling protests
during the national anthem.
"We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a
salute, or a hand on heart," Trump wrote on Twitter. "There are
other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag -
NO KNEELING!"
The statement was a response to quarterback Drew Brees, who
apologized this week for equating the kneeling protest with
disrespecting the American flag.
On Thursday, several players, including reigning Super Bowl MVP
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, appeared in a video
on social media calling for the league to "admit wrong in
silencing" players and to support protests.
"How many times do we need to ask you to listen to your
players?" Chiefs player Tyrann Mathieu said in the video.
The league also faced criticism earlier this year when just one
of five head-coaching vacancies went to a non-white candidate in
the most recent hiring cycle, and last month the NFL introduced
rules designed to boost racial diversity among coaching staffs.
(Reporting By Amy Tennery; Editing by Sandra Maler and Cynthia
Osterman)
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