On Sports 610....Do we "NEED" to hear from Cal McNair??

Knowing what Cal is likely to say, it's better off that he stays quiet. Those protestors probably look like "inmates" to Uncle Cal....

 

Goodell spoke for the league. Individual owners really won't speak, except for probably the Vikings' owner (since it happened there). I don't need to hear from McNair.

 

I'm more of a figurehead in the city of Houston than Cal is. Nobody has ever even heard his voice, and for once, it needs to remain that way.

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

The documentary “Tommy Boy” is a pretty accurate portrayal of how Cal has handled things since his fathers passing.

 

Don't need to hear from Cal, the Texans, the other 31 other teams or the NFL. Save the #BlackoutTuesday posts, save the fake "We care" messages. No one's trying to hear it now. Hypocrites, all of them.

They blacked-balled Colin Kaepernick out of the league for taking a knee. He took a knee, told you why he was taking a knee, and they twisted his message about "Patriotism", disrespecting the flag, doesn't love his country, blahblahblah...

Spoiler

Why did you choose to do this?

People don't realize what's really going on in this country. There are a lot things that are going on that are unjust. People aren't being held accountable for. And that's something that needs to change. That's something that this country stands for freedom, liberty and justice for all. And it's not happening for all right now.

Is this something that's evolved in your mind?

It's something that I've seen, I've felt, wasn't quite sure how to deal with originally. And it is something that's evolved. It's something that as I've gained more knowledge about, what's gone in this country in the past, what's going on currently. These aren't new situations. This isn't new ground. There are things that have gone on in this country for years and years and have never been addressed, and they need to be

Will you continue to sit?

Yes. I'll continue to sit. I'm going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me this is something that has to change. When there's significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it's supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that it's supposed to, I'll stand.

(inaudible)

There's a lot of things that need to change. One specifically? Police brutality. There's people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. People are being given paid leave for killing people. That's not right. That's not right by anyone's standards.

So many people see the flag as a symbol of the military. How do you view it and what do you say to those people?

I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country. I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country. And they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. That's not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isn't holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice, liberty to everybody. That's something that's not happening. I've seen videos, I've seen circumstances where men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly by the country they fought have for, and have been murdered by the country they fought for, on our land. That's not right.

Do you personally feel oppressed?

There have been situations where I feel like I've been ill-treated, yes. This stand wasn't for me. This stand wasn't because I feel like I'm being put down in any kind of way. This is because I'm seeing things happen to people that don't have a voice, people that don't have a platform to talk and have their voices heard, and effect change. So I'm in the position where I can do that and I'm going to do that for people that can't.

Is this the first year that you've sat during the anthem?

This year's the first year that I've done this.

All the preseason games so far?

Yes.

(inaudible)

The support I've gotten from my teammates has been great. I think a lot of my teammates come from areas where this might be the situation. Their families might be put in this situation. It's something that I've had a lot of people come up to me and say, 'I really respect you for what you're doing and what you're standing for.' So to me that's something that I know what I'm doing was right and I know other people see what I'm doing is right, it's something that we have to come together. We have to unite. We have to unify and make a change.

(inaudible)

I don't understand how it's the wrong way. To me, this is a freedom that we're allowed in this country. And going back to the military, it's a freedom that men and woman that have fought for this country have given me this opportunity by contributions they have made. So I don't see it as going about it the wrong way. This is something that has to be said, it has to be brought to the forefront of everyone's attention, and when that's done, I think people can realize what the situation and then really effect change.

(Inaudible)

It wasn’t something that I really planned as far as it blowing up. It was something that I personally decided - I just can’t stand what this represents right now. It’s not right. And the fact that it has blow up like this, I think it’s a good thing. It brings awareness. Everybody knows what’s going on and this sheds more light on it. Now, I think people are really talking about it. Having conversations about how to make change. What’s really going on this country. And we can move forward.

Are you concerned that this can be seen as a blanket indictment of law enforcement in general?

There is police brutality. People of color have been targeted by police. So that’s a large part of it and they’re government officials. They are put in place by the government. So that’s something that this country has to change. There’s things we can do to hold them more accountable. Make those standards higher. You have people that practice law and are lawyers and go to school for eight years, but you can become a cop in six months and don’t have to have the same amount of training as a cosmetologist. That’s insane. Someone that’s holding a curling iron has more education and more training than people that have a gun and are going out on the street to protect us.

 

Spoiler

Do you plan to things beyond sitting during the national anthem, as far as activism?

Yeah, most definitely. There are things that I have in the works right now that I’m working on to put together in the future and have come to fruition soon. Those are things that I’ll talk about as we get closer to those days.

Any concern about the time of this and the possibility if it being a distraction?

No, I don’t see it being a distraction. It’s something that can unify this team. It’s something that can unify this country. If we have these real conversations that are uncomfortable for a lot of people. If we have these conversations, there’s a better understanding of where both sides are coming from. And if we reach common ground, and can understand what everybody’s going through, we can really affect change. And make sure that everyone is trated equally and has the same freedom.

Has anyone from the NFL or team asked you to tone it down? It doesn’t seem as if anyone if trying to quiet you.

No. No one’s tried to quiet me and, to be honest, it’s not something I’m going to be quiet about. I’m going to speak the truth when I’m asked about it. This isn’t for look. This isn’t for publicity or anything like that. This is for people that don’t have the voice. And this is for people that are being oppressed and need to have equal opportunities to be successful. To provide for families and not live in poor circumstances.

In your mind have you been pulled over unjustly or had bad experiences?

Yes, multiple times. I’ve had times where one of my roommates was moving out of the house in college and because we were the only black people in that neighborhood the cops got called and we had guns drawn on us. Came in the house, without knocking, guns drawn on my teammates and roommates. So I have experienced this. People close to me have experienced this. This isn’ty something that’s a one-off case here or a one-off case there. This has become habitual. This has become a habity. So this is something that needs to be addressed.

Colin you’re the only player in the NFL taking this stand. Why do you think you’re the only one doing this?

I think there’s a lot of consequences that come along with this. There’s a lot of people that don’t want to have this conversation. They’re scared they might lose their job. Or they might not get the endorsements. They might not to be treated the same way. Those are things I’m prepared to handle. Things that other people might not be ready for. It’s just a matter of where you’re at in your life. Where your mind’s at. At this point, I’ve been blessed to be able to get this far and have the privilege of being able to be in the NFL, making the kind of money I make and enjoy luxuries like that. I can’t look in the mirror and see people dying on the street that should have the same opportunities that I‘ve had. And say ‘You know what? I can live with myself.’ Because I can’t if I just watch.

Do you think you might get cut over this?

I don’t know. But if I do, I know I did what’s right. And I can live with that at the end of the day.

Does this have anything to do with your relationship with the 49ers or the NFL?

No, this is about the way people have been treated by this country.

How long did you talk when you addressed the team?

It was a conversation. They asked me to talk and just explain why I did what I did. And why I felt the way I felt. I had an open conversation with them., I told them why I felt that way and looked at things the way I do. A lot of it has to do with the history of the country and where we’re currently at. I opened it up to all my teammates. Come talk to me if you have any questions. If you want to understand what I’m thinking further, come talk to me. It shouldn’t be something that should be hidden. These conversations need to happen and can bring everybody closer.

Were there people that disagreed?

There were people that said I want to understand further. Let’s talk. So I’ve had those conversations and will continue to have them with my teammates. It’s something that - the knowledge of what’s happened in this country and what’s currently happening, I think everybody needs to know. And when you have the knowledge of those things you can make an educated decision on what you really feel and what you really stand for.

Have you had people outside sports world reach out to say they support you?

I’ve had a few people reach out. Quite a few, actually. Saying -- we really support you. We’re proud of you for taking a stand. We respect what you’re doing. We know a lot is coming to come with it, but we’re behind you. And that means a lot. That means I’m not the only one who feels this way and I’m not the only one who sees things this way.

Is the team talking about football or this?

No, we’re focused on football while we’re in meetings, while we’re on the field. That’s what our focus is. But in our free time, we have conversations about this. That’s not something that we should be ashamed about or shy away from. We talked about football, we handled our business there but there’s also a social responsibility that we have to be educated on these things and talk about these things.

Consider getting teammates to join?

This isn’t something I’m going to ask other people to put their necks out for what I’m doing. If they agree with me and feel strongly about it then by all means I hope they stand with me. But I’m not going to go and try to recruit people and be like ‘Hey, come do this with me’ because I know the consequences that come with that and they need to make that decision for themselves.

Reach out to anyone before this?

This is a conversation I’ve had with a lot of people a lot of times over a long period of time so it wasn’t something that I planned on having a conversation about at a particular time. It just so happened it was the other night that people realized it and talked about it.

Any concern that the focus is on you and not the issues?

I do think that the talk has been more about me, more about I know a lot of people’s initial reactions thought it was bashing the military, which it wasn’t. That wasn’t my intention at all. I think now that we have those things cleared up, we can get to the root of what I was saying and really address those issues

Any other players who feel the same but not ready to step forward publicly?

Yeah, I know there’s other players that feel the same way. I’ve had other players reach out to me. Once again, it’s not something I’m going to ask them to put their necks out. I know the consequences that come along with my decision and if they feel strongly and want to stand with me, then I hope they do. If it’s something they’re not ready for then that’s what the conversations are for and they can make that decision when they’re ready or if they’re ready

Fear for your safety on the road?

Not really too concerned about that. At the end of the day, if something happens, that’s only proving my point.

Has Dr. Harry Edwards been helpful?

Once again, it wasn’t something I consulted anybody on. It was a conversation I had when someone asked me about it. Dr. Edwards is a good friend, he’s someone I talk to a lot and run things by and have a lot of conversations with and we have a lot of similar views.

Election year have anything to do with timing of this?

It wasn’t a timing thing, it wasn’t something that was planned. But I think the two presidential candidates that we currently have also represent the issues that we have in this country right now.

Do you want to expand on that?

You have Hillary who has called black teens or black kids super predators, you have Donald Trump who’s openly racist. We have a presidential candidate who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me because if that was any other person you’d be in prison. So, what is this country really standing for?

It is a country that has elected a black president twice...

It has elected a black president but there are also a lot of things that haven’t changed. There are a lot of issues that still haven’t been addressed and that’s something over an 8-year term there’s a lot of those things are hard to change and there’s a lot of those things that he doesn’t necessarily have complete control over.

What would be a success?

That’s a tough question because there’s a lot of things that need to change, a lot of different issues that need to be addressed. That’s something that it’s really hard to lock down one specific thing that needs to change currently.

 

Tommy came through and got the girl though.

 

"What actual steps are you taking to support the fight for justice and system reform?" Kendricks asked on Twitter. "Your statement said nothing. Your league is built on black athletes. Vague answers do nothing. Let the players know what you’re ACTUALLY doing. And we know what silence means."

Kendricks continued by asking for suggestions on what concrete steps the Vikings can take towards creating change, and continued to call on the NFL to take action.

"The Vikings have opened a dialogue with players and we’re all working towards solutions with the team," he said. "If anyone has suggestions for how to support the city, we’d love to hear them. Our team doesn’t just want to donate — we want to work with local organizations and get out there to help facilitate change. DM me or comment if you have any suggestions or info."

"But we want answers at the league level. That’s where change can happen, and we’ve seen none. Because right now, it seems like nothing. And nothing is unacceptable. You can’t bring in people to teach us how we should interact with police but not work towards changing the behavior of the police themselves. Silence will not make this go away."

 

Cal will do whatever O'Brien asks him to do. If BoB wants him to speak he will.

 

HELLLL NO! Cal should just stay quiet. He's absent on everything else why change? He's rich he should just write checks and stay absent!

 

Honestly anything that comes out of the higher up now is just insincere bs. Didn't let the players protest about BLM and police brutality during the national anthem, speaking up now about the same topic won't make anybody look good either.

ah yes u can't protest about police brutality during the national anthem, but just know we are with the protesters. At least saying nothing won't make them look like hypocrites.

 

Broncos coach Vic Fangio says racism, discrimination aren't prevalent in NFL

"I don't see racism at all in the NFL. I don't see discrimination in the NFL."

 

Bill O'Brien: 'We've been thinking and listening and trying to understand and speak from my heart. On behalf of the Houston Texans, we want to send our deepest condolences to the family of George Floyd. The Floyd family has been an unbelievable example for this country.'

Bill O'Brien praising Houston: 'Houston has united around the Floyd family. Our hearts go out to that family. Our hearts go out to the black community in this country. We stand by you and we are ready to do our part in this community.'

"We all have to stand up and understand what's going on in this country right now is wrong. It's wrong."

'We all have to do our part. We all have to do it now'

"It's not just police brutality, though that's what we're talking about right now," Bill O'Brien said. "It's corporate America. It's professional sports. ... We all have to do our part."

O'Brien adds that he spoke to Dolphins HC Brian Flores yesterday.

'What we saw in Minneapolis is horrendous'

'We have to do our part. We have to listen. We have to stand by the black community. The McNairs are heartbroken over the murder of George Floyd and are committed do whatever they can to bring social justice to our community.'

"I’ve learned a lot from talking to Kenny Stills over the last year why he takes a knee. I think we all know why Kenny takes a knee, why Eric Reid takes a knee."

"What is great about our country right now are the protests," Bill O'Brien said. "The peaceful protests we see on TV are what our country is all about."

Bill O'Brien said he's read comments from Brian Flores, Barack Obama, George W. Bush. Called them "true leaders."

Bill O'Brien: 'I'm sad, I'm frustrated'

Bill O'Brien said 'As a white head coach, I think it's important to speak out'

Bill O'Brien says the Texans will not meet virtually on June 9, the day of George Floyd's funeral. He'll encourage players in Houston to go to the funeral.

 

LOL ok, cool bro. So Vic, if you currently dont' see systemic racism in an institution that just took about 60 years to decide whether or not black people could be trusted to throw and not just catch a football and that just ostracized Kap over this exact same thing, can you provide an end date as to when that racism and discrimination went away so I can check your thesis?

 

George Floyd was a victim of murder, and you use that to launch some petty smears at the McNairs? Seek counseling.