San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Thomas continuing fight for racial justice
HOUSTON — Deep hurt, feelings of pain, sadness, frustration, anger, disgust and other powerful emotions flooded through Michael Thomas while watching the video of George Floyd.
Seeing Floyd on the ground with a knee jammed into his neck, pleading “I can’t breathe,” before his death in Minneapolis police custody sickened Thomas.
The death of Floyd has sparked a nationwide conversation about racism and police brutality along with protests and riots. This latest tragedy brought back difficult memories for Thomas, who grew up in the Houston area and graduated from Aldine Nimitz, married father of two children and one of the newest Houston Texans.
One of the most active and passionate NFL players in the community, the Stanford graduate and vice president of the NFL Players Association executive committee thought of other recent killings of African Americans, including Ahmaud Arbery while he was jogging in Georgia, and Breonna Taylor in her Kentucky home.
Of course, the names have changed since 2016. That was when Philando Castile was killed by a Minnesota police officer, who was acquitted, and Alton Sterling was killed by Louisiana police with no charges being filed. That was the year Thomas knelt during the national anthem in solidarity with Dolphins teammates Kenny Stills, Arian Foster and Jelani Jenkins, but the harsh reality remains unchanged for African Americans in fear of police. So, Thomas chose to use his voice and protest to try to fix and shine light on the situation.
“People are just tired, man,” Thomas said. “They’ve had enough. They’re tired of praying for change. They’re tired of asking for change, pleading for change. No, we want to do something to create real change right now. Years later, even though, conversations are being pushed to the forefront even though the response is different, damn, we’re still here.
“We still just had another incident. You feel hopeless. You feel angry. You feel tired. The results of these riots, these uprisings, this revolution is because people are just tired of seeing it. This is our life. This is our time. If it costs us everything, so be it. I can’t just keep sitting here and allowing it to happen. The riots, the pain, the hurt, 400 years of witnessing the brutality, it’s traumatizing and there’s nothing we feel like we can do about it. So, the uprising, the riots, it’s happening, but we need to see justice.”
Thomas, who signed with the Texans in the offseason, has chosen to speak up because he believes deeply in the cause of Black Lives Matter. Thomas has chosen to get involved because he wants to see change.
“It’s the reality,” Thomas said. “That’s the hard part for me. Taking it back to 2016, I didn’t care what happened to me at that point. I don’t know if that was wise or right. At that point, I had so much conviction in me that I’ve got to say something. I’ve got to do something. I have the platform. If it costs me my career, if it costs me my reputation, friendships, whatever, I have to do something.
“The main goal, which is the root of the anger and hurt and pain and why they’re protesting and rioting, it’s about justice. There are so many other situations that aren’t recorded and family members have to endure the hurt and pain of police brutality. People want justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and those police officers are brought to justice, not slaps on the wrist, not found not guilty. No, it’s murder. And there needs to be justice for all three of them and setting a standard and a precedent for moving forward. goal.”
Before their 2016, opener against the Seahawks, the Dolphins held a tense, players-only meeting during which Stills, Foster, Thomas and others discussed social justice issues and kneeling. Some players walked out or tuned out the message. They chose not to join their teammates and kneel as since-exiled 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was doing along with 49ers safety Eric Reid and others.
This week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell offered condolences
That’s the end to the families of Floyd, Walker and Arbery, and then on Friday said the league was “wrong” in its stance on protesting and saying it would support its players rights to protest.
“The NFL definitely didn’t respond like that during the first goround when players protested to shed light on police brutality,” Thomas said. “We’re calling for justice. Back in 2016, all we wanted was a statement. All we wanted was a true real statement that showed y’all support us, but nobody would do it.
“I’m not going to say it was empty words like a lot of people have said. I would just say: ‘Please, let’s not muddy the narrative again. Let’s call it for what it is: The people want to see justice for these unjust murders and it’s police brutality. Regarding Colin, the man who shed light on all of this, he has been exiled since 2017. So many players like Colin Kaepernick have had their careers affected, including mine, and will never recover lost wages. I’m glad the conversation is at least here now.”
Back in his hometown after eight seasons playing for the Giants, Dolphins and 49ers, Thomas is encouraged by the example being set in Houston by Police Chief Art Acevedo. Acevedo has been outspoken in support of Black Lives Matters and peaceful protests and has expressed outrage at the murder of Floyd.
“I applaud and salute him and the city of Houston for taking that approach,” Thomas said. “I have a best friend I played football with at Nimitz who’s a deputy in the Katy area. He said, ‘We’re with the protesters.’ City of Houston, I applaud you. You’re hearing. You’re on the right side of history. It’s all about justice.
“In the Floyd murder, Ahmaud Arbery murder and Breonna Taylor murder, if there is swift action to charge those officers, fire those officers, serve justice, then these riots don’t happen. Because it’s been 400 years of people seeing that there aren’t charges, arrests, indictments, convictions. People who don’t look like African-Americans who might commit crimes way more egregious, way more severe and get brought in peacefully, slaps on the wrist, second chances in life, not guilty convictions, that’s when you get these riots. You get that hurt. You get that pain. That’s where we are right now. Can we finally get justice?”