In the midst of social injustice in America, many NFL players are voicing their viewpoints. Will we see some Detroit Lions players take a kneel next season?
Colin Kaepernick is probably feeling really smart right now. Once criticized for kneeling during the national anthem, now being apologized to for that former criticism.
It’s crazy to think that it was almost four years ago when the Kaepernick-kneeling controversy took place. But now, with the recent death of George Floyd at the hands (or should I say knee) of a police offer, that former 2016 situation is now coming back to fruition.
Some NFL players have voiced their opinions on the matter. The most controversial being New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who posted a video on social media expressing his viewpoints on kneeling during the anthem. He seemed to completely not understand the point of the protest. The post was later deleted, and an apology was made by the QB shortly after.
The Detroit Lions, a predominantly African-American team, in a city with the largest black population, have shown support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Head coach Matt Patricia and other members of the Lions organization showed up to the Belle Isle march last Friday.
Lions head coach Matt Patricia getting ready to march to Belle Isle in Detroit pic.twitter.com/kCyMQZ53iS
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) June 5, 2020
Detroit Lions safety Duron Harmon, acquired in free agency from New England, expressed his thoughts to the media on the country’s current social and cultural situation. He made it clear that Patrica did a great job on letting players voice their frustrations and opinions on a matter that’s bigger than football.
"“I think Matty P did a great job of giving everyone the chance to voice their opinions, voice their frustrations, and for our white brothers to really understand what the African-American community goes through in this country.”"
While playing in New England, Harmon participated in the peaceful protest of kneeling during the anthem in 2016. Even though he doesn’t know exactly how the NFL’s response will be this upcoming season, expect him to be one of the players participating in the kneeling.
One player most Lions fans are glad to see on board with the movement is QB Matthew Stafford. His wife Kelly participated in the “Black Out Tuesday” event on Instagram last week, making it known that the Stafford family was in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Whether other Detroit Lions players publicly show support of BLM, is something we’ll have to wait and see. I’m highly expecting Harmon to not be the only one to kneel during the national anthem for Detroit as other players across the league have already announced they’ll be participating in the kneeling on their respective teams.
At the end of the day, this is a time where all of us must come together as a team, city, and country.