The majority of teams in the NFL are closing their facilities to observe Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the abolishment of slavery in the United States. The Philadelphia Eagles, the latest team to close their facilities, explained their position on closing down for the Juneteenth holiday.

Per Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia:

“Me, personally, just the first thing I want to do is listen, listen to my players, listen to the guys that have feelings, have strong beliefs, and I want to understand everything that I can,” Pederson said, via ProFootballTalk. “A lot of it is personal, for me, just hearing from the players [and] understanding more and more about what these players go through on a daily basis and what the black community, the African American community, go through on a daily basis. And we are seeing it more and more, not only with sports but obviously in our communities.”

Roger Goodell announced that Juneteenth would be celebrated as a staff holiday moving forward. Therefore, Detroit Lions, among other teams,  have given their employees off on Friday, June 19.

Throughout recent weeks, there have been protests that stemmed from the death of George Floyd in police custody. At the same time, there have been conversations made about racial injustice. Provided that, teams have taken the initiative to allow their players to speak of their experiences with racial inequality.

Similar to most coaches, Pederson has been at the forefront of giving a platform for his players to speak. Now, the Eagles are joining the rest of the league in solidarity for Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating and remembering emancipation from bondage.