More white players and coaches are joining their black peers around the NFL in the push for social justice. Listen to the Weak Side podcast for a full discussion about allyship in the NFL.
While the tweets and Instagram posts of J.J. Watt and Baker Mayfield this past weekend should not be held up next to the actual bravery of Black players who have put their livelihoods on the line to raise awareness for social inequality, could it represent a tipping point in the way the NFL enters into the fray?
During this moment in time we have heard a lot about being a white ally, which is a message Mayfield and Watt seem to have taken to heart. While Watt did not specifically commit to kneeling for the national anthem like Mayfield did, both were quick to publicly correct fans who harbored some seriously ingrained misconceptions about Colin Kaepernick’s message and the push for social justice.
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien committed to taking a knee this season. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said he would participate in whatever his players felt was the correct course of action. This is what the other side of the curve looks like. While the largely silent ownership class is plotting their “both sides of the aisle” response, much of the league has already moved in one direction. Now, it’s not just “a handful of players” anymore (or whatever dismissive language was used to demean and delegitimize protesting before).
We’ll discuss that in detail on this week’s episode of the Weak Side podcast with Jenny Vrentas and Conor Orr. Join us for a mailbag edition of the show that covers a lot of ground from a week in football. Subscribe to the MMQB’s suite of podcasts to have the Weak Side delivered right to your phone twice a week.
• Question or comment? Email us.