September 12, 2020

George Floyd family to attend Vikings' season opener

George Floyd's family will be in attendance for the Minnesota Vikings' regular-season opener against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the team announced Friday, according to NFL.com.

Floyd's family will be recognized before kickoff and after the performance of the Black national anthem ahead of the game.

Floyd, a Black man, was killed while in Minneapolis Police custody in May. His death prompted protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

The Vikings created the George Floyd Legacy Scholarship in June, which includes a $125,000 endowment that will provide roughly $5,000 annually for African-American graduating students in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

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Updated September 4, 2020, 7:40 AM CT

Expect blowback from fans when social activism slogans emblazon our screen

The NFL is joining other sports leagues in putting social justice messages on the playing field this season. End zones will be inscribed this season with two slogans: “It Takes All Of Us” on one end line, “End Racism” on the other.

And the one thing you can count on is blowback. There is going to be a huge uproar once the general viewer sees "black lives matter" on helmets, jerseys, and the field itself, and no mention of "blue lives matter." Or the name of someone killed during an interaction with the police, but not the names of police officers killed doing their jobs. And then there's the matter of President Trump chiming in on Twitter about who's kneeling and who's not.

So here's what's allowed as of today:

Helmet, decals

Instead of using helmet decals, NFL players will be permitted to display the names of victims of police violence and/or systemic racism on the white padding at the bottom of the helmet.

Initially, the NFL was going to allow players to wear helmet decals or jersey patches recognizing those impacted by systemic racism and police brutality throughout the 2020 season.

The decision to wear decals or patches this season will be left up to individual players, although teams may decide to act as a whole, Wyche added.

The league and the NFL Players Association are collaborating on a list of names.

“Each player will have the option to honor an individual by displaying that person’s name via a decal on the back of their helmet,” the NFL said in a statement.

“Players will be offered a list of names and short biographical information to help guide their decision-making, however, they can also select a victim of systemic racism who is not represented on this list.”

Players can choose either a name of a victim or one of four preferred phrases the NFL has approved:

“Stop Hate”; ”It Takes All Of Us”; “End Racism”; or “Black Lives Matter.’”

Coaches will also be allowed to display patches on their hats.

Warm-up T-shirt

It was also announced that a T-shirt designed by NFL Players Association executive committee member Michael Thomas, a safety with the Houston Texans, can be worn in warmups.

That T-shirt says: “Injustice against one of us is injustice against all of us,” in the front.

The back says reads: “End racism.”

Additionally

During pregame ceremonies, a recorded performance of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” known as the Black national anthem, will play.

Video montages of NFL players’ and clubs’ social justice work will air at the same time.

According to the memo, the NFL has “engaged the James Weldon Johnson Foundation (the song’s author) and the NAACP to work with us to inform and educate fans about the historical significance of the song during the weeks leading up to kickoff, and will utilize the NFL’s owned and operated channels to share as broadly as possible.” "Lift Every Voice and Sing", known as the Black national anthem, will be played before all 16 Week 1 games. The song will be played prior to the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Each week, the NFL will feature the story of a victim of social or racial injustice or police brutality and tell that person’s story “in and around” the games, the league said.

NFL says no after Dallas shooting

On July 7, 2016, a group of Dallas police officers were ambushed, killing five and injuring nine others. Two civilians were also wounded. The Dallas Cowboys asked the league for permission to pay respects to the officers by wearing a decal on their helmet. The NFL refused to allow it. And they're allowing BLM content on the helmet.

Here is a link to a CBSSports article on the decision:

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-wont-let-cowboys-wear-decals-supporting-dallas-police-in-regular-season/