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Several teams in the league have recently halted their training camp proceedings in order to reflect and take actions with regards to the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement. Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has his own take on the discussion and claimed that protesting “doesn’t do crap.”
National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) executive director DeMaurice Smith fired back to the tactician on Twitter:
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it’s clear he is woefully misinformed about the history of protest both within sports and in America. 👇🏿 for starters. https://t.co/wXN71ZkUWj pic.twitter.com/uo7d9BQbUa
— DeMaurice Smith (@demauricesmith) August 27, 2020
The two-time NFL Coach of the Year answered back to Smith's reply via ESPN.com:
Article Continues Below“Yeah, I have a history,” he said. “It might be a little bit longer than his.”
Despite the recent comments, Bruce Arians had made it known to his players that he will support them if they chose to miss or move practice in lieu of the movement. The Bucs' player-led social justice committee is also scheduled to meet this week to discuss more on the matter.
Nine other NFL teams have already decided to address the racism issues and set football aside for the meantime. The Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Football Team all recently chose to hold out practices in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Other teams proceeded with their respective practices but a couple of teams namely the Baltimore Ravens, and New Orleans Saints also publicly released team statements regarding the issue.
The incident involving 29-year old Jacob Blake happened three months after the killing of George Floyd. Issues revolving around the Black Lives Matter movement continue to draw national attention and caused protesters across America to continue rallying for change.
