Detroit Lions cancel practice to protest police shooting. Here’s what the players say
The Detroit Lions canceled practice on Tuesday in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake that occurred over the weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin, numerous outlets reported.
Players, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, and coaches addressed the media with signs that said “The World Can’t Go On” and “We Won’t Be Silent” written on white boards.
According to numerous media outlets, Stafford spoke about how proud he was to be a part of the team during this trying time.
“Been a lot of days in my life I’ve been proud to be a Detroit Lion,” he said to the press. “But probably never more of an offseason or of a day than today that I’ve been proud to be a part of this team.”
Three other players — safety Duron Harmon, defensive end Trey Flowers and offensive tackle Taylor Decker — also spoke, ESPN reported.
“As a team, we looked each other in the eyes and realized that football isn’t important today,” Harmon said. “We have a platform that we are able to use not just to raise awareness but to create change.”
Police in Kenosha fired several shots into the back of Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, as he attempted to get into his SUV on Sunday afternoon, video shows. Blake remains in a Milwaukee hospital, where his father said his son is paralyzed from the waist down.
Stafford also said that “football is a melting pot of cultures,” and “that it’s painful but important to hear teammates.”
“We can’t be silent,” Flowers said. “We can’t say silent. We cannot be going on in the world with our regular day. So today, unified we stand here and we came up with these words, these slogans, and we spread the message, spread the word.”
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Detroit Lions cancel practice to protest police shooting. Here’s what the players say."