That year, the NFL also began a program called Inspire change which directs donations to groups focused on police-community relations, criminal justice reform, education, and economic progress. Last year, the NFL said it had almost tripled its commitment to the program, promising to spend up to $ 250 million over 10 years.
Amid protests sparked by Mr Floyd’s death, Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, released a video message last year condemning racism and systemic oppression of blacks. His message arrived the day after a group of players released theirs video calling the league to send just such a message and to “admit wrongly that he silenced our players from a peaceful protest”.
“We, the National Football League, admit that we made a mistake by not listening to NFL players before, and we encourage everyone to speak out and protest peacefully,” Goodell said in his message. “We, the National Football League, believe that the lives of blacks are important.”
Last year, the league also paid tribute to Mr. Floyd, Mrs. Taylor, Mr. Arbery and others through an initiative called “Tell their stories.”
Mr McCarthy said on Saturday that there was no change in the league’s stance on kneeling during the anthem. Players are “strongly encouraged” to stand up for the anthem, he said, but the NFL has no plans to do anything against those who choose to kneel, raise a fist, or stay in the locker room instead.
“We never punished one player” for kneeling, he said. “No player has ever been disciplined.”
The slogans of the end zone, he said, will be highlighted during every game, except those that respect certain goals. For example, during the game “Salute to Service” in the part of the army, “End Racism” will be replaced with “Salute to Service” in one end zone, and “It Takes All of Us” will remain in the other end zone, he said. is.
“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the national anthem of the Black, played by the NFL before games in the opening week last year, will be played again before the first game of the season between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, the gentleman said. McCarthy. The song will also be played in the Pro Bowl, Super Bowl and NFL Draft, he said.
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