Mets’ Alonso: ‘I will not remain silent’ on racial injustice

New York Mets star Pete Alonso is the latest high- profile athlete to speak out against racial injustice in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

“For the past couple of days, I’ve struggled to wrap my mind around what’s happening,” Alonso posted on Instagram. “I have a voice and I will not remain silent. My heart has been broken over the murder of George Floyd.

“I will never know what it feels like to be discriminated against because the color of my skin. To anyone who faces this type of discrimination, I will fight for you and be an ally. I will always stand with you. There needs to be justice and change made for the better of humanity. Let words be our sword and unity be our armor. Take care of each other,” he wrote.

The 25-year-old Alonso was the NL Rookie of the Year last season. The first baseman led the majors with 53 home runs, a record for rookies.

The English Football League says the second-tier Championship is set to resume on June 20.

The Premier League announced Thursday that play is due to return on June 17 following the coronavirus suspension that began mid-March.

The EFL followed suit on Sunday evening, announcing that the Championship is set to restart around the same time.

In a statement, the EFL says: “Following Saturday’s announcement by the government to allow elite sporting events to return behind closed doors, the EFL has this weekend agreed to a provisional restart date of the weekend of 20 June 2020 for matches in the Sky Bet Championship.”

The date was “subject to the strict proviso that all safety requirements and government guidance is met; and that clubs receive clearance from their local authorities in order to stage matches at their home grounds.”

The aim is to end the season with the Championship playoff final “on or around 30 July” with details of games still to be confirmed.

Leeds and West Bromwich Albion currently sit in the automatic promotion spots.