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- Mar 19, 2019
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Dolphins head coach Brian Flores was one of the first figures from the NFL to weigh in with a statement after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last week and a couple of his former players liked what he had to say.
Flores was critical of “people who broadcast their opinions on kneeling or on the hiring of minorities [who] don’t seem to have an opinion on the recent murders of these young black men and women.” The most recent episode of the podcast hosted by Patriots defensive backs Devin and Jason McCourty focused on a discussion of the issues surrounding Floyd’s death and Devin McCourty highlighted Flores’ work.
“I think it’s about leading men,” McCourty said, via MLive.com. “It’s about men seeing the important things. We don’t just come to play football. We’re around each other, we mentor each other, we try to pour into each other. So to see him go out there and make it public and say how he felt, I thought was really good.”
Jason McCourty took some time to call on athletes to follow Flores’ lead and use their place in the spotlight productively.
“We have to take advantage of the platform we have when we have it,” McCourty said. “Once we’re retired, you still can do it but it’s almost too late to demand the audience and people that you have. I think it starts with a conversation. As you watch what has gone on over the last few days, with the rioting and looting, it’s a form of communication when you don’t know how else to communicate.”
Devin McCourty said he’s seen more players follow his brother’s suggestion in recent years and he thinks more eyes are open now. He lamented the tragic reason for that while offering hope that “can lead us to create that change and hopefully improve” in the future.