Ever since an African-American man by the name of George Floyd was unlawfully killed by a police officer in Minnesota, the Las Vegas Raiders have no remained quiet.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was the first to release a statement over the weekend, standing up for his black teammates and friends by calling for immediate change. He stated how disgusted he was after seeing the video of Floyd being killed.
Additionally, Raiders wide receiver Zay Jones took to social media to share an inspiring story of an encounter he had with an older white woman who told him that his life matters.
Now, the Raiders are officially speaking out as an organization as owner Mark Davis released the following statement encouraging people to find solutions instead of contributing to the problem:
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 1, 2020
Carr and Davis weren’t the only white members of the organization to speak out as defensive end Maxx Crosby did the same on social media over the weekend:
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/d6iCTLDIWE
— MaddMaxx (@CrosbyMaxx) May 31, 2020
The protests in Las Vegas over the weekend were among the most violent in the country. Although people are encouraged to protest and let their voices be heard, it is important that they do it in a way that they are remaining safe and not putting their own lives in danger.
It is good to see that Davis, Carr, Crosby, Jones and the Raiders are speaking out about racial injustice, but it will be interesting to see if they do more for the local community in the coming weeks. While the return of football may be just around the corner, there are more important issues that need to be addressed in the country right now.