While NFL owners, as of Wednesday morning, did not change game day rules and regulations to forbid peaceful, civil protests during the national anthem, it’s obvious that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the league is choosing its white fans over its black players.
Jones says it is not an assault on black players’ rights. It is the cost of doing business. There are actions that black NFL players can now take to show solidarity and demonstrate to owners and the nation that they are to be taken seriously.
Black NFL players should form a trade association called the Black Professional Football Players Guild.
Separate from the NFLPA, this trade organization should be comprised of black NFL players, with a board of directors and executive committee. This group would address any issues involving a single black player or group of them. While its decisions are not binding, this entity would speak on behalf of all black players. The organization could be funded by a 1 percent donation based on salary of players involved.
Upon its establishment following the Super Bowl in February, “The Guild” should announce its 2018 NFL agenda – the agenda could change each season. Because of NFL owners’ actions regarding the national anthem, the 2018 agenda should be designed to shake individual teams and the NFL to the core.
The Guild should request that no black player attend any voluntary team function or activity during the 2018 offseason. This includes offseason workouts at team facilities and Organized Team Activities (OTAs).
Remember, these are “voluntary.” If the NFL can’t support its black players on issues of importance, why should black players volunteer their time and physical efforts to their respective teams? This action would be met with ire from owners, coaches and some fellow players. This is a form of protest that cannot be mandated by the NFL because, once again, these activities are “voluntary.”
The Guild should discourage black players from participating in marketing efforts sponsored by the NFL, including its “Play 60” program, which is directed at youths, and any other campaigns that exist for the public relations image of the NFL.
If the NFL could care less about its black players and, importantly, a significant number of black fans, why should black players lend themselves to marketing and PR assignments? While players might lose some income, it is a willing sacrifice.
The Guild should encourage black players to refrain from wearing pink as part of the NFL’s awareness campaign concerning breast cancer.
NFL owners can’t force players to wear pink – so they should not wear pink apparel. Players can make financial contributions or find ways to support breast cancer research which are not part of the NFL campaign. The Guild could direct this effort.
The Guild should discourage black collegiate players from attending the NFL Draft, regardless of their draft status.
This is no more than a showcase for the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell. Each year, fewer collegiate stars attend the NFL Draft. It is now time for black college stars to help support those that have made their dream possible – black players that have been ignored by owners and the NFL.
The Guild should recommend that no black players on the Super Bowl winning team attend a reception at the White House with President Trump.
This certainly needs no explanation. The Guild should join black players at a rally of their own in the winning city, in a part of the metropolitan area with a majority black population.
The Guild should monitor the number of black media members that cover NFL teams. The focus should be on local media not members.
Once compiled, this figure should be prominently shared to show the lack of diversity among those that cover the NFL for local radio, TV and newspaper outlets.
The Guild should encourage black free agents to seek fully guaranteed contracts.
You often hear “the NFL does not offer guaranteed contracts.” There is no NFL rule or policy that stops an owner from offering a fully guaranteed contract. The owners collude to not offer this type of contract. Black players could help burst this dam of fallacy. Ironically, this would benefit wealthy, white quarterbacks, first and foremost.
The success of The Guild would, of course, hinge on the number of black players that are willing to follow its guidelines and suggestions. If a majority of the NFL’s black stars follow the 2018 agenda, it would cause a stir in the league and within team locker rooms.
While it could divide black and white teammates and draw negative reaction, The Guild must be considered and should be established because a segment of white America, the NFL and the president have left black players with no option. The time has come for black NFL players to organize, be active and stop being “volunteers” in the racial attacks on themselves.
As the Ezekiel turns
St. Louis attorney Scott Rosenbloom and Ezekiel Elliott’s legal team convinced a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order that halts his six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s domestic violence policy. The order holds for 14 days or until a formal hearing can be held. He can play Sunday at San Francisco and, most likely, at Washington a week later. Elliott was suspended for six games in August after the league concluded following a yearlong investigation that he had several physical confrontations in the summer of 2016 with Tiffany Thompson.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is helping move heaven and earth to clear the way for Elliott to play football on Sunday – even if he is guilty of physically abusing his former girlfriend.
However, should Elliott take a knee during the national anthem, he will not be allowed to play in the game.
The level of irony and hypocrisy this situation demonstrates is all one needs to know about how NFL owners truly feel about their black players and their fellow black American citizens.
Boxing back Saturday
Jarvis “The Jackal” Williams will headline a card of boxing at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow in St. Louis.
Williams scored a unanimous decision victory over Luis Pena on June 17 at the Pipefitters Union Hall to move his record to 8-0 with one no-decision to Charon Spain in July 2016. He came back to win a unanimous decision over Spain later that year.
The card will also feature Kent Cruz, who ran his record to 13-0 on Sept. 3 when he notched a technical knockout over Yankton Southern in Omaha, Neb.
Leon “Third Generation” Spinks (11-3-1) is scheduled to return to the ring after a two-year hiatus. Also on the card is Jessica “Caskilla” McCaskill, who is 5-1 following her TKO over Natalie Brown in Chicago on July 29. Other bouts will include Jermaine McDonald and Jeremiah Millett, who will be making his pro debut.
General admission tickets are $35 and ringside VIP is $50. For more information, call John Harris at (314) 452-8414.
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, is a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and can also be heard on Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box.” His Twitter handle is #aareid1.
