The Milwaukee Bucks – and subsequently, the rest of the NBA's players and staff – made the historic decision to strike on Wednesday in protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wis. on Sunday.
Shortly after the NBA's games were postponed, the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds made the same decision – and it sounds like more MLB teams may soon follow. And while the NFL's season doesn't get started for another three weeks, one head coach already thinks that players may go on strike for those games, too. Speaking to ESPN, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll had this to say about it:
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The Bears have already had discussions – both internal and external – about the attack on Blake, and how they can use their platform as NFL players to advocate, and act, for change.
"For me personally, just trying to deal with the community," Charles Leno said. "I’m gonna see what we can do with our PR and CR staff and help that community because they’re so close to us. But I mean, honestly, this has been a problem. We know it’s been a problem. We just need more awareness and to spread more awareness. And within that awareness, also spread compassion and understanding for others. I think that’s one of the biggest things. And with that will come love, and that we need more of as well. And also I just believe police training, too. I don’t know know how many hours those guys do. But I know we train a lot on the football field. I think they need a little bit more because they’re dealing with lives and they’re handling lives. And every single life is precious."
"It’s definitely a crazy situation," Tarik Cohen added. "You would think, with all the notoriety and attention that has been given police brutality, you’d think it would slow down a little bit and not still be the main topic every day when you wake up and see it on the news. It’s crazy that we still see those same things happening in today’s world. It’s great to be on a team that openly speaks about that. We have open conversations about everything that happened around it, and with that being so close, it was definitely a topic today. Coach Nagy made it known that we all have each other’s backs and [that’s] the way we’re going to carry ourselves about any situation that happens."