Anquan Boldin thankful to see Tom Brady sign Ahmaud Arbery letter

[Captain Fear]

Players Coalition co-founder Anquan Boldin said it was important for Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady to sign onto last week’s letter calling for justice for Ahmaud Arbery, for a number of reasons.

First, it added a high-profile name to a list of 60 sports figures calling on the Department of Justice to conduct an immediate investigation into the shooting death of Arbery, a 25-year old Georgia man who was killed while jogging near his home.

But having a prominent white player involved was also “very significant” to the effort.

“I think it’s very significant. Especially having Tom be a guy who hasn’t been involved in politics at all,” Boldin said during an appearance on ESPN. “He’s kinda stayed away from it. But it just goes to show that people are tired of this happening. We’ve seen it over and over again, and far too long, we’ve allowed it to go on and not speak out about it. So to have someone like Tom Brady sign the letter, it was very significant.”

Boldin said some players reached out to Brady, and he was encouraged that the six-time Super Bowl champion was eager to join. He knows that some players might be hesitant to speak out on issues that involve the black community, but he still feels their support.

“It’s not that they don’t care what’s happening to African Americans in this country. A lot of them are afraid to say the wrong things,” Boldin said. “So that’s why a lot of guys stay away from being in front of the cameras and speaking out about certain subjects. And honestly, they don’t go through what we go through, but to say that they don’t support us, that would be far from the truth.

“They want to make sure that the message that they speak out is right. Like I said, from the guys that I’ve talked to, they want to make sure that what they say doesn’t hurt the cause as opposed to helping it.”

While the racial component is easy to see, the nature of the apolitical Brady also makes it stand in stark relief. Despite being friends with President Donald Trump and having his name dropped at a number of points, Brady has tried to remove himself from any situation that suggests an endorsement.

And it’s encouraging to many to see him decide that justice isn’t a politcal issue.