MEIWâld, Ill. – It was really bizarre to see this tweet Thursday morning:
#Bears starting RB David Montgomery, who went into practice yesterday with a knee injury, is expected to be out 2-4 weeks, the source said. That gives him a chance to be on the field for the opener against the #Lions.
– Ian Rapoport (@ RapSheet) August 27, 2020
Normally it would be relevant. The Bears’ top runner, injured just a day in advance, may actually be ready for the start of the season. Great news, right?
Almost. It felt completely unimportant.
Envious of how the Bears can repair their running back room is a distraction from figuring out how the country we live in can solve its ongoing problem of shooting and brutalizing black men and women. In the aftermath of Jacob Blake’s police shooting in Kenosha, Wisc. – that’s a shorter ride from Halas Hall than downtown Chicago – Bears players decided Thursday not to participate in football activities.
And be no deviation.
“In the course of what’s happened over the last few days in our backyard of Kenosha, we as a team have a lot on our minds today,” read a statement attributed to Bears players. “We decided to stop our football activities to talk to each other, our coaches and our staff where we stand on the real issues surrounding race and police brutality in our country.
“We had a productive discussion, but we all agreed that talks and discussions are no longer there and that we need action. We make plans to take action in our communities and together we believe we can make a real difference. We need action not only today, but in the coming days. ”
Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of murder in connection with the shooting deaths of two Protestants in Kenosha this week, was arrested at his home in Antioch, Ill, but about 30 minutes from Halas Hall. Rittenhouse was arrested in Lake County, Ill. – the same province in which the Bears practice, and many players live.
Not that the latest example of police brutality and social unrest about it had to come in the backyard of the Bears to take action. Eight other teams canceled practices on Thursday and joined teams in the NBA, WNBA, MLB, MLS and NHL in canceling games in the last 24 hours.
And although players did not cancel a game, canceling practice is a big problem. A short training camp meant only 15 practices could be held between Aug. 17 and Sept. 3, with the Bears opening the 2020 season on Sept. 13 against the Detroit Lions (who canceled practice on Tuesday in the aftermath of the shooting). of Blake).
The Bears need every practice they can get to evaluate their quarterback competition, to get into football form, to prepare them for the regular season after a disappointing 2019. Losing a day of work this year is a lot – it is therefore the Bears still practiced Sunday after a morning scare from the coronavirus, even though it was a brief breakthrough.
But the impact of Thursday’s decision by players not to practice does not matter. What matters is that players felt so compelled to do so because yet another black man was shot by police.
Four years and one day after Colin Kaepernick first knelt down to protest against police brutality and racial injustice during the national anthem, nine football teams chose to focus their energy on what actions can be taken to solve the problems that Kaepernick highlighted in his demonstration.
The Bears are already involved with community organizations such as I Grow Chicago, Build Chicago, Youth Guidance and My Block, My City, My Hood. Upon arrival at Halas Hall for training camp, all players were given the opportunity to register to vote using the Lake County Clerk’s office.
“We try to help people get out and vote,” linebacker Danny Trevathan told Bears’ official website. “A lot of people don’t exercise their right. I know for myself when I was 18, I knew I had the right to vote, but I did not know how to do it. Education was a part of it.
“It’s important, because that’s who’s making the laws. They’re checking the police. They’re checking the judges, the schools, who’s getting this, who’s getting this, little things that are really big things. That I would encourage anyone with the right to vote to go out and use it and not take it for granted. “
Register to vote! Let’s take advantage of the opportunity to make a difference to my black family and community. #RegisterToVote #BlackLivesMatter #Be the change
– Jaylon Johnson (@ NBAxJay1) August 27, 2020
But what broad receiver Allen Robinson said back in May, in the wake of a Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, still haunts me.
“I think it just continues to challenge people to take the initiative on a regular basis instead of on an event basis,” he said. Calls for change and action can only continue if police officers are caught on camera brutalizing and murdering black men and women.
On Thursday, in the wake of one of the horrific videos, Bears players decided not to practice and put in place for ongoing action.
Non-continuous derivation.
