The New England Patriots continued to practice last week after the NBA, NHL and MLB postponed the games and a handful of NFL groups canceled school sessions to protest racial injustice, but the team didn’t forget the problems.
The Patriots teamed up to discuss social issues after police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, were searched shooting Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man, seven times in front of his children.The conversations appear to have had a dramatic effect on quarterback Brian Hoyer.
“First of all, I think I’ll say this: I’ve never been so proud to be a part of this organization,” Hoyer said Monday.”Last year, when I went to Indianapolis, I missed those guys.There’s something special about the boys in this locker room and it starts with Matt Slaters, Devin McCourtys, Jason McCourtys, (Dont’a) Hightower, Julian (Edelman).We have leadership and that is reflected.
“We spoke the other day. To hear those guys talk, I don’t know how anyone can sit there and hear the screams of the black net and not say ‘We’re with you.And I know we have an exclusive attitude”.as football players and interact with guys of another color, race, religion, whatever any day and I look how lucky we are to unite, to see that we all have differences and that it’s okay and that we settle for differences from people.And you look at our country right now and there’s a lot of department and I think if we can be an example of unity, I totally agree.So I completely help them and this movement.prouder to be part not only of the Patriots and our wonderful network, but also of the NFL network.”
Devin McCourty spoke to the media last week and described his desperation for the stage after Blake was shot. It seems like he delivered a similar message to his teammates.
“Look, it’s more vital than football,” Hoyer said.”I mean, you sit there and listen (to the McCourtys) to communicate and hear how they deserve to teach their young people if they arrest you, do this or you may not come home alive.My wife jokes that I’m not yet a very empathetic user when you’re sitting there and you see a tear running down Devin McCourty’s face, and he explains that that’s what she’s going to have to tell her kids, I wonder.How is that going to be possible?
“And I was fortunate that I was raised to treat everyone the way you need to be treated, and I know the seams are so simple, yet this obviously doesn’t happen in our country and around the world, so you see it and you realize it’s important, and you have to create time.You have to sit down and have those conversations, be able to sit in the locker room and communicate for 25 to 30 minutes and say, “Here I hear you, I’m here for you, what can we do to help you?”
Hoyer ended up saying he didn’t know if he would ever meet bigger leaders than Slater and Devin McCourty.Hoyer is in his twelfth season in the NFL and has played with a quarterback from the league franchises.He’s in his third season with the Patriots.
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