The start of the 2020 NFL season is just around the corner, although this year for the Los Angeles Rams, the focus isn’t just on the football field.
In addition to having to deal with the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Rams and other teams across the league and other teams across the league are also actively involved and social justice issues after another Black man named Jacob Blake was recently shot by a police officer in Wisconsin.
Racial injustice and police brutality are things the Rams have passionately talked about and tried to end all offseason, starting with when George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minnesota.
Rams head coach Sean McVay has allowed his players to speak on the issues plaguing the country, and he wants that to continue to be the case moving forward even though the season is about to start, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“(We) want to make sure that we’re always opening up the lines of communication, not just transmitting information,” McVay said. “We’ll keep the specifics of that in house, but it’s always about being able to connect with our guys, make sure we understand their perspectives and really figure out a way to put some tangible things in place to really move the needle in the right direction.”
Rams cornerback Troy Hill also wants to continue the conversation on social justice and believes the Rams need to come together as a team to find a way to make a difference with action:
“I don’t really have the answers right now. I don’t want to just come on here and just speak on some things. But we’re having these conversations, these uncomfortable conversations, (and) the next step is maybe try to come together and figure this out together,” Hill said. “Together unite and we’ll be strong, but until then, we got to keep on taking these steps day-by-day and when we come with that solution, we got to all buy in to it. That’s kind of my mindset about it and that’s what I think we need.”
The Rams have been very involved in the local community since moving back to L.A., and there’s no doubt that will continue moving forward during this difficult time.
