Risking his job for the cause, one NFL staffer reached out to Thomas to effect change
By Patrik Walker | CBS Sports
The NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have taken a hardline stance against racism and social injustice, years after Colin Kaepernick took his first knee in 2016 in silent protest of police brutality, a protest joined by many other players around the league. The death of George Floyd, which resulted in the arrests of one Minneapolis police officer on a charge of second-degree murder and three others for aiding and abetting second-degree murder, thrust the NFL player protests back onto center stage amid impassioned demonstrations that literally circle the globe. When Drew Brees responded to a question about the NFL player protests by making the issue about respecting the flag, the backlash from teammates and others around the league and the sports community resulted in the New Orleans Saints quarterback issuing multiple apologies for "insensitive" comments that "completely missed the mark."
Goodell released a video apology with an admission that the league "was wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier," a statement that "Black Lives Matter," an encouragement of peaceful protests and a confession that "without black players, there would be no National Football League." It's a moment in time many believed would never arrive for the NFL, and it was driven by a powerful video pieced together by wide receiver Michael Thomas, in conjunction with a league employee who believed he'd be fired for his hand in designing it.
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