Aaron Rodgers delivered a message to police this week. That message? Good cops need to call out bad cops.
“One action by a cop doesn’t mean that every cop is unfit for duty or racist, but it gives them a bad name,” Rodgers said on Monday.
“It’s a bad look. I hope there can be cops who can speak out as we’re speaking out about these things and be as disgusted at this unfortunate norm has become in our country, but it starts with the system that’s in place. Until the system is changed, there’s not going to be a whole lot of change.”
Aaron Rodgers’ full two-minute, 20-second response to the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin yesterday captured on video: pic.twitter.com/LAl2QsCJJz
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 24, 2020
The Green Bay Packers quarterback made his comments in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha Police Department officers.
Blake, 29, was shot multiple times at close range following an apparent refusal to comply with police officers’ order to stop walking to his car.
The incident restarted a series of protests across the United States that had seemingly begun to die down following the George Floyd unrest earlier this year.
Blake’s shooting prompted Rodgers, among other athletes, to speak out.
“There’s a systemic problem,” Rodgers added.
“Until the problem is fixed, this is going to be an all-too common sighting in this country. Obviously, this hits home, not being far from Green Bay.”
In Rodgers’ estimation, what happened to Blake speaks to a larger problem.
“There are antiquated laws that are prejudicial against people of color in this state,” he said.
“I think the governor and the folks at the Capitol need to take a hard look at some of those systems that are in place.”
The Packers star was quick to note that he has very positive relationships with many police officers, and that his reaction to the Blake shooting had nothing to do with those men and women.
“I know a ton of (cops),” he said.
“A lot of them have traveled with us over the years. I’ve been pulled over a couple times. I’ve had nice interactions which aren’t the norm of everybody on this squad. I have a lot of love and affection for the guys I’ve seen on a regular basis here for 15 years.”
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Aaron Rodgers Was Not Alone In His Opinion
Rodgers’ statement on Monday was not the only strong athlete opinion on the Blake shooting.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James also spoke out on what had transpired.
“If you’re sitting here telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman, or detain him, or before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here, you’re lying to not only me, you’re lying to every African American, every Black person in the community because we see it over and over and over,” James said following his team’s game on Monday night.
James was not the only NBA player to speak out.
F THE GAMES AND PLAYOFFS!!! THIS IS SICK AND IS A REAL PROBLEM WE DEMAND JUSTICE! ITS CRAZY I DONT HAVE ANY WORDS BUT WTF MAN! THIS IS WHY WE DONT FEEL SAFE!!!! https://t.co/3E4Dd2wS3e
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) August 24, 2020
George Hill of the Milwaukee Bucks echoed that sentiment.
“It’s just sickening,” he said.
“It’s heartless. It’s a f—ed up situation. Like I said, you’re supposed to look at the police to protect and serve. Now, it’s looked at harass or shoot.
“To almost take a guy’s life, thank God he’s still alive. I know the cops are probably upset he’s still alive, because I know they surely tried to kill him. But to almost take a man’s life, especially in front of one’s kids, that wasn’t resisting in his back at point-blank range, is a heartless and gutless situation. We need some justice for that.”
Other NFL players spoke out as well.
Stop killing unarmed black people.
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) August 24, 2020
Praying for all black men & Women! Please be safe! Not everyone is against us but the few that are please be aware of them!
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) August 24, 2020
With the NBA postseason in full swing and the NFL season on the verge of beginning, this is likely not the last time notable athletes will weigh in on societal matters over the next few months.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
There are bad athletes as well. Bad athletes in every sport. Some trying to get a competitive edge by doping. Some taking cheap shots at other athletes. Some thinking they are politicians. Are these athletes all lumped into the same category of cheating and being bad examples? No. Police officers should be treated the same way. Yes, there are bad cops, but they are rare. Many, many more are good officers. The media does a pathetic job of reporting fairly. These same officers are shot at, spit at, verbally abused and physically abused on a daily basis, yet they are supposed to endure it. Athletes would shudder if they were treated this way. Aaron Rodgers even whined like a little kid when the Packers drafted a quarterback in the first round last year.
Practice what you preach!!!!
You’re really comparing lethal force and killing innocent people with athletes getting a competitive edge with drugs? You don’t want good cops to call out bad cops so you stretch to that absurd comparison? Your existence is a joke.
How about the bad people on the other side ? People should start calling them out ! There two sides here remember this!
These aren’t mutually exclusive. There will always be criminals. As a country we should expect our cops to not also be criminals. Don’t make excuses for the scumbags in blue.
This latest incident is really disturbing. We as a nation have regressed to KKK and the Nazi era. Aaron Rodgers is correct that good cops have to reveal bad cops. We as a nation are headed to a second Cival War if this continues.
And stop killing innocent people you read everyday about people being kill with guns! Where’s the unrest with this? No people go after the ones with the money!
You’re making pathetic excuses. Criminals aren’t held to a higher standard because they’re criminals. It’s in the definition. Hold cops accountable when they commit criminal acts. This isn’t difficult. Use your brain a little.
I agree that there are way more good cops than bad cops.
Somewhere the lessons we are taught at home are being lost. I know that people have a choice to either be a good person or bad person. Yet these athletes who have never done police work want to say something without the possibility of seeing the whole video. When the police give you an order just follow it. Don’t continue to be an ass and think that nothing applies to you.
Let them do a full week in the police uniform and see how some of their thinking has changed.
Not following a police order isn’t and cannot be a death sentence if you aren’t threatening violence or murder. Why do you say people should believe nothing applies to them while giving police a pass for behaving like criminals and performing criminal acts? Shouldn’t police be held to a higher standard? If the police are able to exist as criminals then they are no different from the worst of our society and should be treated the same. Uniforms do not give them a free pass to be the worst of our society.
Good cops should call out the bad cops huh??…..and quartbacks should call out bad lineman??…..
You aren’t mentally capable of distinguishing between murder and people who are bad at sports? You can’t comprehend that one actually matters?
Tom… if that’s how you feel then you just don’t f__king get it! Because what you are talking about don’t have a damn thing to do with police brutality against African Americans! We are being killed for no reason. And you’re talking about bad cops are rare…get the f__ck out of here with that shit!!!
F_ck the police!! And you too if that’s how you feel!!!!