The Arizona Cardinals have given the team a day off to honor George Floyd, according to running back Kenyan Drake. Drake said on Twitter he knows that the team is a “small cog in a big machine” but he knows these gestures can go a long way in creating the right dialogue.
There are three different memorials planned over the next week to honor the life of Floyd, who was killed while in police custody on Memorial Day in Minneapolis. The first memorial service will take place on Thursday in Minneapolis at North Central University.
Floyd will also have memorial services in Raeford, North Carolina, and Houston, Texas. Raeford was the city where Floyd was born, and Houston is where he grew up and spent most of his life. Cardinals standout Patrick Peterson said a few days ago that African Americans are still looked at as less-than in the United States:
“I have spent a lot of time thinking through how to responsibly describe my anger and disappointment resulting from the MURDER of George Floyd and the chaos that has followed. It is clear as day that minorities’ lives, especially those of my black brothers and sisters, continue to be of lesser value in America. This broken record of systemic racism is disturbing and our leadership is failing our communities. How many times do we have to see those who supposedly swore to ‘protect and serve' our communities murder us until our public leaders step in and demand change? How many times will leaders stand by and watch as our anger spills over into the streets to cause unnecessary havoc in our communities? Not for publicity, not for politics, not for personal interest. BUT FOR THE LIVES OF AMERICANS!???!!”
NFL teams and players seem to be trying to take the lead to make sure there that this time, real and lasting change takes place in the United States.