Athletes Take Part

As protests and demonstrations continue across the country in response to the death of George Floyd in police custody, athletes across sports have continued to take a stand in their own ways.

• New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban donated $50,000 to a fund for Floyd’s daughter. In a video posted on Twitter, Subban said, “Justice has to happen. Change needs to come.” Subban also reached out to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who told Subban the league would match the donation.
• Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott pledged $1 million to “improve our police training and address systematic racism through education and advocacy in our country.” “You have to change yourself before you can ask anyone else to change,” he wrote on Instagram.
• Several NBA players have also joined into the protests on the streets, such as Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown. Brown drove from Boston to his home state of Georgia to take part in protests in Atlanta.
• New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said an interview with Yahoo Finance that he will “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America” when asked about players kneeling in the NFL this season. That remark drew sharp responses from athletes across sports on social media, including from LeBron James, who said, “You literally still don’t understand why Kap was kneeling on one knee??”