Arizona Cardinals players and coaches showing unity amid protests
The Arizona Cardinals are showing unity in the wake of global protests.
Every year, the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL provide a sense of unity for fans all over the world. 2020 however, will be different, as we try to navigate the murky waters of a racial and cultural divide when football finally does come back.
If you said 2020 has been a hell of a year, you’d be putting things mildly. We’ve seen a global pandemic that has called for all major sports to halt for the interim. We’ve seen massive protests across the globe following the murder of George Floyd, and the question of whether or not Colin Kaepernick was justified and effective has been re-examined.
Wherever you might stand on the issues, one thing is clear: The Arizona Cardinals are standing by their players and supporting their efforts to bring awareness to social and racial inequality in the United States.
Per azcardinals.com, head coach Kliff Kingsbury made that very clear when speaking to reporters this week. “What happened to George Floyd was a terrible tragedy. It was a murder,” he said. “We’re going to support our guys.”
And his “guys” have certainly made some noise recently in support of the cause. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and cornerback Patrick Peterson were featured in a recently released video by black NFL players for their support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Powerful message posted tonight featuring some of the most influential NFL players including @Cantguardmike @Mathieu_Era @saquon @obj @DeAndreHopkins @EzekielElliott @deshaunwatson and many more - “what if I was George Floyd?” And a resounding “Black Lives Matter” pic.twitter.com/hmKkyRotCx
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) June 5, 2020
And Larry Fitzgerald penned a poignant letter speaking of his home town of Minneapolis, where Floyd was murdered, that was featured in the New York Times. These efforts show that it’s more than football for the Cardinals.
The players have the support of an all-white Arizona Cardinals front office, which shows the organization’s commitment to listening to their players and helping in any way that they can.