Editorial

National Fraternal Order Of Police Rips The NFL For Donating Money To Anti-Police Groups

(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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The NFL is taking some serious heat after reportedly donating money to anti-police groups.

In a bombshell report from Fox News, it was revealed that the league had donated substantial money through the “Inspire Change” program to at least three groups with anti-police stances. The three groups known about are the Vera Institute of Justice, the Oregon Justice Resource Center and the Community Justice Exchange. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

Most notably, the NFL donated $300,000 to the Oregon Justice Resource Center. Now, the police are hitting back.

National president of the Fraternal Order of Police Patrick Yoes stated the following in part in a Thursday night release:

I find it incredibly ironic that NFL teams travel and play every week under the protection of local law enforcement; we have officers in stadiums, parking lots and even on the sidelines to ensure the safety of the players, team personnel, and of course, the fans. The NFL pays for this security because they want their venues and attendees to be safe. Now, we learn they are sending thousands of dollars to groups whose mission is to end policing and our justice system. How irresponsible is this? If it weren’t such a serious issue, we would just laugh at them and go about our business. But make no mistake, this is a very serious issue.

You can read the entire release in the tweet below.

The most notable part of the statement to me is the fact the FOP reached out to the NFL to find a way to heal “the wounds in these communities by collaborating with the FOP to rebuild trust and respect between police officers and the people they serve,” but the league opted to not work with them.

What world are we living in when the NFL will donate money to groups that support defunding the police, which are tasked with keeping stadiums and games safe, but won’t work with an organization like the Fraternal Order of Police?

It makes no sense at all.

Roger Goodell should be ashamed of this situation, and if he had a backbone, he would fix this situation immediately.

If you force me to choose between the police or groups that support defunding law enforcement and leaving the public at the mercy of criminals, it will be the easiest choice I ever make.

I 100% support the police, and while not all officers are perfect, the overwhelming number are hard working Americans who love their country and have a tough job to do.

Let’s hope the NFL finds a way to make this right. There’s simply no excuse for the league to be supporting anti-police groups.