The death of George Floyd has sparked some much-needed change in the United States as athletes, celebrities and people across the country have all come together to fight against racial injustice and police brutality.
The Los Angeles Rams have been heavily involved in the local community in recent years, and that continues now as they made a promise to join in the fight against racial oppression.
Rams head coach Sean McVay has been very vocal about how much he has to learn about the subject after the death of Floyd, but he has been in constant communication with his players to let them know that he supports them during this difficult time.
It appears McVay reached out to certain players first before addressing his whole team, and one of those was veteran wide receiver Robert Woods, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:
Woods was one of the first players McVay reached out to, to seek advice as to how the Rams can affect social change in their community. He was among many speakers of personal experience facing injustice within team meetings.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) June 10, 2020
Woods grew up in L.A. and attended USC so is familiar with the local community. He also is one of the Rams’ locker room leaders, making it not much of a surprise that he was one of the first players McVay reached out to.
While not many players and organizations supported Colin Kaepernick when he decided to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, Woods believes that won’t be the case this time around:
Woods: It’s time for action.
Says back when Kaep first took a knee it was “scary”, as many players worried about repercussions from the league. Now, he says, he can tell players are more comfortable speaking up.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) June 10, 2020
It is good to see that the Rams players and organizations are using their platforms to inspire positive change. While it will take a collective effort for that change to come to fruition, things finally seem to be on the right path.
