Protesting can be a difficult decision
Many factors make it a tricky proposition for players
ASHBURN, VA. As usual, Terrelle Pryor was approachable and polite as a visitor stopped by his locker for a quick chat. But the Washington receiver, undoubtedly sensing the topic, was also rather firm.
“I’ll talk about football,” Pryor told USA TODAY Sports. “We can talk about needing to beat the 49ers.”
Translation: Not going there. After his last game, on Oct. 2, Pryor got into a heated exchange with a fan at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium — moved to the point of giving the man a finger, he explained, after being repeatedly taunted with the N-word. In an Instagram post, Pryor wrote the tone of the incident was “the exact reason why guys are kneeling during the anthem.”
Reminded of that Wednesday, Pryor said, “I said what I had to say.”
Kind of annoying, coming to work, and pressed to make a social statement?
Pryor gave a half-smile. “Nah,” he said. “I understand. You’re doing your job.”
Elsewhere, one of Pryor’s usually affable teammates wouldn’t touch the matter of the national anthem protests.
“I work for The Man,” the player grumbled. “And I want to keep working.”
Therein lies another layer to the cloud that has settled over the NFL in relation to the anthem demonstrations that are largely protests against social injustice, inequality and police brutality against African Americans.
Although there’s the visceral urge to protest in response to the trash-talking from Donald Trump, the decision to engage or not for many players is not automatic. Some lesser-known ones probably resist protesting because they lack job security and are at the low end of the salary scale. At the other end of the spectrum, some are undoubtedly eyeing post-playing careers while considering political ramifications. Remember, Colin Kaepernick — the former San Francisco
49ers quarterback who earned
$43.5 million over six NFL seasons — still doesn’t have a job.
It’s a matter of dignity for many in a league where more than 70% of the players are African Americans. In determining whether to express themselves, there’s undoubtedly a sense that they are also representing family and friends. While high-profile leaders including Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and Seattle Seahawks players Michael Bennett and Doug Baldwin have emerged in Kaepernick’s absence to define the purpose of the protests, every player in the league is affected to some degree.
Not every player is politically and socially passionate, and there’s a wide range of interests, maturity and backgrounds. But after Trump got involved, the en- tire league — owners included — was put on full blast for a self-check.
“You’ve got some guys who are paying attention to it and some guys who are not,” Washington tight end Vernon Davis told USA TODAY Sports. “Do you want to focus on that or football?”
Davis, a 12th-year veteran, was not among the six Washington players who knelt before the game at Kansas City.
“I’m just focusing on football,” he said. “The cause is there. I think it’s a good cause. They’re trying to bring awareness to something that needs to be addressed. Police brutality. Equality. But at the end of the day — (with) the president or higher-ups — you’re either going to help or you’re not. The ones who control what’s going on in America, they have the power to do something about it.”
NFL players have been placed in a difficult dilemma. It’s not like African-American accountants, lawyers or police officers were suddenly cast with the decision to kneel while their white co-workers and management figures contemplate their level of support.
In declaring that he won’t use any player who doesn’t stand for the anthem, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is selling the notion that it’s good for his players because he’s taking the decision out of their hands.
How paternalistic. And condescending.
It’s one thing to defend the flag, show concern for business ramifications and square off against the players union about workplace rules. But the notion that players can’t make up their own minds is crossing a line. That’s why activists, including Dr. Harry Edwards and Rev. Al Sharpton, skewer Jones as carrying a “plantation mentality” as he essentially accedes to Trump’s wishes.
“Really, I don’t want my players making the call,” Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “Everybody understands it when your livelihood (is at stake). What nobody gets is how damaging it can be when we continue a debate about the NFL when it comes to disrespecting the flag.”
It’s as if Jones thinks players in a highly pressurized profession can’t handle such a decision, a notion that drew a chuckle from Davis.
“We’re grown men,” Davis said. “You decide what you’re going to do. If you want to stand or kneel, you make your own decision. Whatever.
“This is a job that’s full of pressure, but at the end of the day, pressure is a good thing. In this game ... you embrace it.”