James White Says Patriots Will Peacefully Protest In Some Way When 2020 Season Begins
BOSTON (CBS) -- Football has not been the only topic during recent team meetings for the New England Patriots. In fact, football has taken a backseat to much bigger -- and much more important -- issues at hand.
The team has focused on the social unrest around the country, stemming from the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. With protests around the country over racial injustice and inequality, Patriots running back James White says the team will be sending its own message of support when the NFL season begins.
"I'm sure we will figure something out as a team. I'm not exactly sure what that will be but I'm sure guys will peacefully protest in some type of form or fashion," White told reporters on a video conference Thursday. "Colin Kaepernick was trying to raise awareness for situations like these a while back and people have continued to raise awareness about it but now the world is seeing how a bunch of people feel and I think everybody's trying to understand and get a better grasp of everything so things can change in a positive manner."
Last week, the NFL admitted that the league was wrong not to listen to players as they peacefully protested in 2016 and 2017, and is now encouraging them to do so. White was among the Patriots players that knelt during the national anthem ahead of a game in Sept. 2017, and believes that the more people stand up to these injustices, the closer the country will get to a solution.
"I think it's just the amount of people that are speaking out. When Kap first did it as a protest, some people didn't have to courage or whatever it might have been to speak out or talk about it," said White. "The NBA made their stance on it and everything but I think a lot of guys in the NFL were kind of shy or kind of scared to speak their mind, but now since more and more people are speaking out and everybody's sharing their stories and how they feel, whether they're white, black, Latino. I think it's important that everybody understands one another. That's how the world works. We have to work together to understand and make things better."
White's father is a black police officer, which gives him a unique understanding of the current situation.
"My dad always taught me that even though he's a cop, when his uniform is off he's just a black man in society," explained White. "The same thing that happened to George Floyd can happen to me, happen to my dad or any person of color. It doesn't matter how much money you make or what job you have, if someone feels the need to show they're more important or have more power than you, they can take somebody's life."
White said he has learned many lessons from his father, which shaped him into the man he is today.
"My dad always made me aware of what I should do when I get pulled over, things of that nature, how to treat cops and things like that," he said. "I've heard a lot of stories from my dad's perspective."
