Chargers coach would challenge good cops to speak up
Chargers coach Anthony Lynn is one of my favorite people. Not favorite coach or favorite former player, but people. When I got a call that he’d like to talk about the death of George Floyd and the fallout, I dropped everything to drive to his home.
Lynn and I get along so well because we share a lot of the same values, particularly spiritually. He told me that when the world goes crazy — as it is right now — he gets on his knees and prays. “I don’t have all of the answers,” he told me, “but I know who does.”
He had not made any public statements about the events that have unfolded across the nation. On Monday we spent a couple of hours talking about the protests, criminal justice reform and what the NFL did to Colin Kaepernick for trying to get the word out.
QAWhy not just release a statement? I’ve read some good statements. I read Brian Flores from the Dolphins and I agree 100 percent with him. I read Doc Rivers’ statement and those guys spoke from the heart. I think statements are needed to bring awareness to the situation. But I want to do something, too. I don’t want to just put (a statement) out there because it’s the right thing to do. I want change ... so I guess it starts with having this conversation and talking things out. In 1992 I remember watching L.A. burn and here we are in 2020 and I’m watching it again and it just hit me, nothing has changed.
I haven’t done anything to make this a better place for my son. I remember having the talk with him when he was 16 about how to handle police and then at age 30 I called him up and just had the talk with him again because I’m so scared. I want to do something but to be honest with you, I don’t know what that is.
QYou said you want to do something, but why? Maybe if you can identify the why, then you can identify what the next step should be.
AI’m glad you asked me that. I want to make this a better world for the next generation and not just for minorities, but for everybody. I believe in diversity, I believe in inclusion and if you believe in that, you can’t just stand silent. You can’t just stand on the sidelines and just watch. You got to say something, man. The thing that bothered me the most about (the) George Floyd murder was the three officers that said nothing. The guy who did it, yeah, he’s a (expletive), but the three who stood by and did absolutely nothing … I’m just stunned by that. I see that going on in every organization. I see good people saying nothing and doing nothing, allowing this to happen.
QThe conversation about police brutality and criminal justice reform used to be something bubbling underneath. Now it’s talked about more in the mainstream. When you hear that phrase, what specifically about the criminal justice system would you like to see changed most?
AFirst, there are so many good officers. I did a first responders commercial a couple of years ago because I respect the first responders so much. They deserve so much more than what they get. They put their lives on (the) line for us. Two of them helped save my life after I was hit by that car in 2005. My son’s godfather is a police officer. So I’ve always had a great relationship with the first responders. But I also know it’s a club like a football team and they stick together like a football team. And the good ones get a bad rap because of the bad ones. I would challenge the good ones to speak up and not be silent anymore. That’s what I take away from all of this. George Floyd died with three officers right there who watched him die. It’s time for good officers to speak up and not accept that anymore.
I have a lot of good white friends and I’ve said to them that sometimes I feel our biggest enemy in this fight is good white people because they don’t believe people can do the things they do and be this evil. They just don’t believe it. And I’m like,
“Guys, you are so naive and you’re so naive because you’re really good people. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, but your naivete is hindering the cause.”
QThe NFL did something I found highly offensive and intellectually dishonest. I saw a statement after this weekend and I didn’t see the words “black,” “white,” “race,” “racism” or the name “Colin Kaepernick.” How difficult is it to know what he was trying to fight for and how the NFL responded and treated him, and yet continue to work for the NFL?
APeople completely misunderstood Colin and what he was trying to do. People talked about disrespecting the flag ... the flag covers a lot — patriotism and civil rights and other things. And Colin was speaking out against the injustice and a lot of people didn’t catch on to that because it was happening during the national anthem. They thought it was disrespectful to the flag. I was surprised by the number of people who didn’t know why he was protesting. I got letters from people. I had people walk up to me and ask, “Coach, what are you going to do if someone on your team protests?” And I had to explain to them that Colin is taking a knee for criminal justice (reform) and police brutality and once you broke it down, they were like, “Oh, we didn’t know that. We thought he was protesting the flag.”
QWhose fault was it that the message got diluted or lost? Was it his? The media?
AA lot of people for their own political reasons pushed out the wrong narrative. A lot of people didn’t catch on as to why he took a knee. I understood and applauded him for it. At the same time, I’m never going to take a knee during the national anthem because I have an uncle that was a Marine and a father that is a vet. When I stand for the national anthem, I think of them. I think of the people who died for the rights and liberties I have right now and I give them that respect.
That’s how I think toward the national anthem. Now some people may look at that and think of social justice and how jacked up that is. I’ll take a knee before and after the national anthem all day long, but I’m not going to tell someone else how they should protest. I thought it was a shame that Colin’s message got lost because people kept bringing up patriotism. It was brave for him to do that.
QLet’s talk about solutions. You said you wanted to make the world a better place; what does that •