Some Dallas Cowboys players find their voice and speak out on George Floyd’s death
A Dallas Cowboys assistant coach and several players have spoken out on social media in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, by a white Minneapolis police officer as protests and uprisings continue in cities across the country.
Derek Chauvin and three other police officers who were part of the May 25 incident were immediately fired. Chauvin has been since been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. On Monday afternoon, the county’s medical examiner ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide as result of being restrained.
In the week since Floyd’s killing, a tidal wave of outrage from public figures and private citizens has taken to the streets and social media to protest what at least one former athlete tried to shine a light on four years ago.
In 2016, then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. The protests were labeled as un-patriotic, and by the end of the season Kaepernick was out of the league.
A number of players around the NFL followed Kaepernick’s lead with some form of protest by kneeling or raising a fist during the anthem from 2016 to 2018.
The Cowboys, however, were prohibited by team owner Jerry Jones from kneeling or displaying any other form of protest during the national anthem, and it is partly for that reason that the comments made by the current players is significant.
While there has not been a reaction from the Cowboys’ most prominent players — namely, quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and receiver Amari Cooper — Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence’s initial display of frustration and anguish on social media spoke volumes.
On May 26, one day after Floyd’s death, Lawrence lashed out on his Twitter account.
“DONE BEING QUIET AND DONE BEING ANGRY,” Lawrence exclaimed. “HOW CAN WE FEEL SAFE WHEN THOSE MEANT TO PROTECT US ARE KILLIN’ US?!!!! WHEN WILL MINORITIES BE FREE TO BE AMERICANS IN AMERICA!?”
After getting pushback because of his lucrative salary and NFL prominence from a social media account that is no longer active, Lawrence returned some proverbial fire on May 27.
“HERE IS THE PROBLEM!,” he began via Twitter. “Thinking that since I worked my a** off to EARN a great living, makes me feel any safer in this country than any other minority living in fear cause of their skin color. I DONT! YOUR mindset is the problem. But it’s not your fault, it’s all you know.”
He has continued with constant tweets and retweets on the issue in the days since.
Cornerback Jourdan Lewis followed Lawrence on May 28 with a simple but pointed question on his Twitter account.
“Would you like to be treated like a black person in America?,” Lewis asked. “Answer that question, don’t need any explanations. Yes or no.”
He has also stayed socially active with quotes and retweets on the protests that have led to the destruction of many businesses, including several in Dallas.
“Why destroy OUR establishments??? We need capital to fight this fight. Please think about that,” Lewis tweeted on May 30.
Rookie defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, a fourth-round pick from Oklahoma, got involved on May 30.
“For those who are non-African American that are speaking up and are grieving with us....We see you,” Gallimore said on Twitter. “But for those who are silent but still in love with our culture and envy all that is cultured. Best believe we see you too.”
He then added: “A lot of you ‘ultimate football fans’ got things backwards. Understand that there’s more to life than the sport especially during these times. Telling some of us football players to ‘keep our opinions to a minimum’ or ‘just worry about performing on Sundays’ is foul.”
Backup quarterback Andy Dalton joined the conversation on May 30, becoming the only white Cowboys player to show public support for a cause that is important to his teammates of color.
“I have had a heaviness about everything that has gone on with George Floyd and many others,” Dalton said in his tweet. “These racist acts are inexcusable and horrific. We have to fight against racism and not be naïve to the injustice that is happening.”
But the biggest statement came later on May 30 when Cowboys defensive back coach Maurice Linguist opened his soul with a heartfelt message on Twitter.
Linguist is in his first season with the Cowboys after a career as a college coach, most recently with Texas A&M. He was hired by new head coach Mike McCarthy and his statement was possibly telling of a new regime because no coach under the-fired Jason Garrett over the last nine years would have felt comfortable, let alone be allowed, to make such a statement.
“As a coach, I’ve sat in the living room of countless black families and made promises to parents to love, guide, and care for their sons,” Linguist said. “I am the father of a little black boy. Last night, I held my son a little closer and hugged him a little longer. I cannot imagine him being taken away from me the way that I saw George Floyd and many others senselessly lose their lives.”
“The feelings of pain and anger are real and they cut deep,” Linguist continued. “THIS IS WRONG! Before I am a coach, I am a black man in America and as a leader of men, strength and leadership are needed the most during the hardest times.”
“If what I am saying bothers you please choose to unfollow me. This about equality and justice, not politics. #imtiredof hashtags”
The Cowboys have yet to issue a public statement, even though several teams, leagues, brands and corporations have issued official comments on the matter.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as well as the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons have all come out with statements against racism in response to Floyd’s death.
