EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The New York Giants have not ruled out the option of putting up a game in the regular season to protest against social injustice, according to leader Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Sterling Shepard.
Barkley and Shepard were asked on Thursday after practice on Zoom calls whether or not playing was a possibility. They did not rule it out. Both said it was something that would be discussed among the team.
“I can not really just go and speak on behalf of the whole league, but, for us, that is something where we are in our [social justice] groups, within our team, “Barkley said. What is talked about in player meetings remains in player meetings. “
It is unclear how serious the Giants players are about skipping a game. The Giants open on September 14, a Monday night, when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“That’s something we talk about as a team. I will not comment on this until we do,” Shepard said.
The Giants players and team are scheduled to hold their talks Thursday afternoon and into the evening on issues of social justice.
The Giants held practice on Thursday, while several other teams around the NFL decided to stay off the field in response to Jacob Blake’s police shooting. The NBA players boycotted playoff games the previous day, and the WNBA was postponed games.
This did not go unnoticed by the Giants players.
“Praise them for standing up, using their platform, using their voice,” Barkley said.
Giant coach Joe Judge said he spoke to his leadership council over the past few days – and again Thursday morning – and that they decided to continue training, in part to give younger players a fair chance to impress in this short training camp. ,
Judge and the giants would continue their conversation on social justice on Thursday afternoon during gaps in the team’s schedule.
Judge has been stubborn about how they can not just offer blanket statements and have to take them in place. The players were divided into nine social justice groups earlier this year and had the freedom to choose causes in the local community where they wanted to be involved. The coach has allowed the players to steer the initiatives and actions, including how now to give progress to the recent events in Wisconsin.
“We let the players think about what they want to do,” the judge said Thursday. “We will have given interviews as coaching staff and property, and we will then have more answers.”
Owners John Mara and Steve Tisch were key figures in the talks, according to judge.
Barkley said the Blake shooting video made him “sick.” He later told a story about how he was affected by social injustice by an incident with his father. Barkley, who was then a student at Penn State, said the situation was “mishandled” by police.
It made him realize that he is not immune to the problems of our country.
“You can not look at it like, ‘Oh, it’s Jacob Blake,'” Barkley said. “Of course I know he did not die, but you have to be like, ‘What if I was in that situation?’ What if it was your brother, your cousin, what if it was [Shepard], what if it was Golden [Tate] or all those guys. That’s the way I look at it. “
Barkley understands that he is in a position to make a statement through his words and actions. He intends to take advantage of his platform.
He is one of the NFL’s biggest stars and has only 2.2 million followers on Instagram.
“I understand that God has put me in a position to have a platform. To use my voice. I’ve been great about my history, especially the athletes. The Bill Russells of the world, the Colin Kaepernicks of the world , and how they could handle those situations and use their voice, “Barkley said. “It provides conversation. You have to ask yourself, ‘What can you do? What can you do?’
“That’s just the beginning. You need to stimulate those conversations and then take action. Find ways you can do that. That’s what we’re trying to do with our team. And as we continue to find the right things to do. , then we are I will go on. “
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