Arizona Cardinals To Boycott Start Of NFL Season?
Will the Arizona Cardinals boycott the start of the NFL season?
On Friday, the team’s nose tackle Corey Peters came out and suggested that the option was on the table.
“Just in some of our private conversations, there’s been a variety of things that come up, some more extreme than others,” he told the media.
“We’ve talked about a wide variety of ways to protest and a boycott in Week One, obviously, that’s something that has been discussed. But I think as far as the next steps, I don’t think we’re there yet. We’re still trying to talk with some of the leaders on the team and trying to figure out what’s the best way to make the biggest impact.”
Specifically, the Cardinals are looking for the best way to utilize their massive platform as NFL players.
“One thing that I think some guys are concerned about, and I am as well, is I think this is an excellent platform,” Peters continued.
“Look at me right here, sitting here talking to you guys right now about these issues. And I don’t want us to give away our platform to continue to try to fight for change. So I think everything has to be weighed equally. And hopefully we will figure out a solution that is in everybody’s best interest.”
NFL owners should be careful. A few prominent Black players are telling me they want to sit out a game to make their feelings felt & force change/action. They are tired, frustrated and emotional. It’s only a few at this point, but sparks become flames & flames become infernos.
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) August 28, 2020
Not everyone is interested in boycotting actual NFL games, though.
Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Billy Turner does not see the point in doing that. He doesn’t believe it will lead to any meaningful change.
“Sure, we can do that; that’s easy,” Turner said.
“What change is that going to bring initially and right away? Football fans across the country and the world pissed off because they can’t watch football. What is that negativity going to bring to the world because we’re not out there playing this game? I don’t know that that necessarily creates change initially.”
In some ways, his thoughts mirror those of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians, who does not view the act of protesting in itself as especially valuable.
“Protesting doesn’t do crap, in my opinion,” he said on Thursday. “I’ve been seeing it since 1968.”
The Bucks decided to step up and send Jacob Blake a little gift this week. https://t.co/55U3BuiGP4
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 29, 2020
At this point, it is unclear if boycotts will actually occur – but clearly players are looking to make some sort of statement.
This past week’s strike in the NBA motivated many of them to take action, and now it is simply a matter of figuring out what precisely that action should be.
Chris Paul stepped up and got his entire team registered to vote. The rest of the NBA has yet to follow suit. https://t.co/h6Rwh8yu53
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 28, 2020
The Cardinals are set to start their season on September 13 with a showdown against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.
Will they actually end up playing that game when the time comes? Time will tell.
Related: Russell Wilson Gets Very Honest About Jacob Blake Shooting
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.
I love sports. And I’m not a hugh Basket Bal fan. But I think the players did the right thing by not playing.. i love Football, but I’d love to see the players all boycott. Enough is enough already with these police shooting. I’m not against the Police, and I know that we sure as hell need them., but all the bad ones diffinetly have to get weeded out.. the NFL has a hugh platform and would surely shake things up.
But we can no longer go on like this. Change must come about. And Now.
No play equals no play. Fire the dumb asses. Let them get a job in the real world. Oh wait most of them have no real skills. Maybe they can learn to say would you like fries with that.