The National Football League announced Thursday that it was pledging $250 million to “combat systemic racism” following George Floyd’s death.
“The NFL is expanding its social justice efforts through a 10-year, $250 million fund to combat systemic racism and support the battle again,” a tweet from NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero read. (RELATED: Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio Says He Doesn’t ‘See Racism At All In The NFL’)
The NFL is expanding its social justice efforts through a 10-year, $250 million fund to combat systemic racism and support the battle against the ongoing and historic injustices faced by African-Americans.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 11, 2020
In a piece posted on NFL.com about the donation, the league explained they would be willing to work with Colin Kaepernick on the work they are doing. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the work Colin [Kaepernick] and other players have led off,” a person familiar with NFL’s decision shared. “That is a key point here. We listened to our players. We needed to listen more, we needed to move faster.”
????????????????????????????????: NFL commits $250M over 10-year period to combat systemic racismhttps://t.co/JOwlIYLqft
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) June 11, 2020
“We heard them and launched a social justice platform because of what Colin was protesting about,” the insider added. “The players have always been an essential piece of this effort and this campaign. It would be awesome to engage Colin on some of the work we are doing.”
The insider continued, “He’s [Kaepernick] doing real impactful work. Getting him in some way would be amazing for us. There’s a lot of work to do to get to that point. We’re certainly open and willing to do that.”
It all comes after some of the league’s star players demanded the league condemn racism and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the NFL believes “Black Lives Matter.”
“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People,” Goodell shared in the video. “We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter.”
“There was just a real desire to put another stake in the ground and say, we’re not done here yet,” the source went on to explain about the pledge. “There is so much more work to do and this is not a short term problem we can fix in the next couple of years.”
“What are we doing to make sure we see change over that period of time,” the insider added. “It is real action being taken here. It is not just dollars.”