Giants players sound off on anthem protests
EAST RUTHERFORD » Empathy is a huge part of the way the Giants operate. At the beginning of training camp, head coach Ben McAdoo read the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling to reinforce one of their core values on a team with players ranging from ages 21 through 36.
So while the United States is divided on widespread protests by NFL players during the national anthem before games, prominent members of the Giants are adhering to their roots.
“I’ve never walked in shoes of some of the guys in this locker room, but I’ve heard their stories and heard what they’ve gone through,” offensive lineman Justin Pugh said. “Obviously, I want to stand for the flag. That’s something that I feel very passionate about, my brother being in the military, but at the same time I recognize why guys are doing it.”
Landon Collins, Damon Harrison and Olivier Vernon all chose to kneel for the first time before Sunday’s game against the Eagles. The rest of the Giants stood and locked arms in unity.
When former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the movement a year ago, Pugh admittedly took offense at first. But eventually he realized the misconception that is blinding many from accepting players’ freedom of expression.
“I guess being a white man, I didn’t really understand what was going through his mind, what he was experiencing,” Pugh said. “He’s not trying to disrespect military. He’s not trying to disrespect the flag or the United States of America. He’s trying to raise questions and start a conversation, and I think that is definitely something that I can get on board with and be there for these guys in the locker room . ... Guys have the right to say what they want to say, and that’s what makes America so great.”
Several more teams and players took part Sunday in protesting the country’s social injustices after President Donald Trump, speaking at a campaign rally Friday night in Alabama, called for any players who do so to be fired.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters outside the White House that if the trend doesn’t change in the NFL, “their business is going to hell.”
In recent days, more and more team owners released statements supporting their players’ rights.
“It’s getting to the point right now in America where we can’t ignore what’s going on. This is real,” Giants receiver Brandon Marshall said. “We have to validate the other side. We have to understand what’s going on on the other side, what police feel, and when we talk about oppression, that stuff is real. And then on the other end, you’ve got to understand that what we feel is real.
“I think that we’re in a really interesting place, an awesome place, because the conversation has been started. What Kaepernick has done is he’s really started a conversation. He’s galvanized the community to really sit down and really look at themselves and see how we contribute to it, and how we can be a solution moving forward.”
Only recently has there been this much solidarity in the league on the issue. Kaepernick is still unemployed since opting for free agency in March, which led to national speculation throughout the summer that owners collectively viewed him as a distraction and were blackballing his services.
Through the power of empathy, the Giants are part of a league that is increasingly standing up for equality.
“I’ve learned throughout my years, I have to sit back and really listen and pay attention,” Pugh said. “If you don’t listen and see where other people are coming from and you are just listening with the intent of responding instead of understanding, it is going to cause problems. And I think a lot of times that is what we find ourselves doing: Listening with the intent to respond. I am going to impose my opinion on you before I have a chance to hear what you have to say.
“It’s something that is going to continue to be a conversation throughout the NFL. It’s something that I think is going to happen throughout the season.”