Thursday, April 16, 2026

Kickoff Countdown

Bears
Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL announced additional in-game social justice awareness initiatives on Monday. NFL end zones will be inscribed with “It Takes All Of Us” on one end line and “End Racism” on the other. The 2020 season kicks off on Sept. 10.

A t-shirt designed by Houston Texans safety Michael Thomas can also now be worn in warmups. The shirt has “Injustice against one of us is injustice against all of us” on the front and “End racism” on the back.

Players, coaches and on-field officials can wear helmet or cap decals with names of victims of racism and police brutality or choose one of four phrases announced by the NFL yesterday: “Stop Hate,” “It Takes All Of Us,” “End Racism,” or “Black Lives Matter.”

Other NFL Notes: 

— NFL Players Association President JC Tretter outlined three key points players need to follow to have a successful season: mitigation, personal responsibility and small sacrifices for the greater good. “We have seen other sports experience setbacks and outbreaks, in part because they stopped prioritizing the safety measures put into place. Our collective efforts cannot stop until we complete a full season,” he said.

— The Carolina Panthers announced no fans will be at Bank of America Stadium for the team’s Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. As of Monday night, 25 teams have announced they won’t have fans for at least their first home game of the season.

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