NFL Commisioner Admits Fumbling on Race Issue, Endorsed Players' Right to Protest

By Danielle Ong First Posted: Jun 08, 2020 08:49 PM EDT

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted the league had fumbled on race issues in a supercharged town hall meeting on Friday. His statement comes after some of the game's brightest stars collaborated with NFL staff members to produce and release a powerful message demanding action from the league on systematic racism.

According to the accounts of the attendees, Goodell said the country's situation reminded him of living in Washington as a kid and watching demonstrators protest against the Vietnam War.

Change

Before Friday's town hall meeting, Goodell called NFL staffers on May 30 to personally weigh in on the protests following the brutal death of African-American George Floyd. During the statement, the commissioner failed to mention a specific race. His speech garnered criticism from two players on the Minnesota Vikings.

Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks called the league out on their personal Twitter accounts.

"Your statement said nothing. Your league is built on black athletes. Vague answers do nothing. Let the players know what you're actually doing," Barr and Kendricks tweeted.

On Wednesday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees drew flak after he claimed he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country" during an interview with Yahoo Finance.

That night, Saints star Michael Thomas collaborated with NFL creative producer, Bryndon Minter, and league staffer, Nick Toney, to produce a video that would call out their employer despite fears they may lose their jobs.

Wednesday also proved to be historic as the NFL tweeted a statement that included: Black Lives Matter. The tweets highlighted the league's donation of $44 million to fight systematic racism. It also pledged an additional $20 million this year.

On Friday, the league released a video where Commissioner Goodell apologized for not listening to the concerns of African-American players. He also said he supported the player's right to peaceful protests. However, he did directly mention Colin Kaepernick, who knelt on the sideline during the national anthem in 2016. His protest inspired many, but no team has signed him since then.

Trump's Response

In response to the league's video and Goodell's support for peaceful protest, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has reignited the national anthem debate with the league.

In a tweet, the president questioned whether the commissioner was implying that choosing not to stand for the National Anthem was not an act of disrespecting the country and the flag.

The issue on the national anthem has long been a point of contention between Trump and the National Football League. In 2017, the president encouraged team owners to release players who did not stand during the anthem.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now. Out! He's fired. He's fired,'" Trump said at the time.