According to a report from Kyle Meinke of MLive, “many” Detroit Lions players are planning to protest police brutality prior to their Week 1 matchup vs. the Chicago Bears.
On Thursday, future Hall of Fame RB Adrian Peterson spoke to Lions beat writers for the first time and when asked whether or not he would be kneeling, he said he would be. He noted that was his plan even before signing with the Lions.
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From MLive:
Protests are returning to Ford Field this season.
The details remain unclear, but many Detroit Lions players are expected to protest police brutality before Sunday’s opener against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Running back Adrian Peterson, who signed with the team this week, said he intends to be among the players kneeling.
“I plan on taking a knee,” the future Hall-of-Famer said. “We got the support of our coach and everything going forward, but that has always kind of been my plan.”
“As an organization, we support our players and coaches’ efforts to bring social justice issues to forefront,” Ford Hamp said. “We will continue to support them and continue to work toward positive change. These are conversations I know Coach (Matt) Patricia has had with our team over the last several weeks and I look forward to engaging, learning, and most importantly, listening, as we strive forward as a team.”
Patricia has fostered an open dialogue about racial issues throughout the year, especially after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and again after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. He attended a rally in Detroit after Floyd was killed in late May, and canceled a training camp practice after Blake was shot eight times in the back by a police officer last month. That set off a movement that touched many corners of the sports world, including the postponement of the NBA and NHL playoffs.
Now Patricia has given his blessing for players to continue their protest before Sunday’s opener against Chicago, though it remains unclear what exactly that will look like.
“We’ve had really good conversations from all the way when we got back, and really even through this week, as far as what Week 1 looks like in general,” Patricia said. “I think there will be a lot of changes to just the overall look of what that is. We’ve had some great discussions. Like I’ve said before, we’ve got great guys in here. They do a great job of listening to each other and understanding. We’ll keep that in-house for now and then we’ll get to the game and get ready for Chicago.”
The Lions are planning another round of protests before their opener on Sunday against Chicago https://t.co/UZxFKbmzpe pic.twitter.com/7jQMFzERap
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) September 11, 2020
