Houston Texans Head Coach Bill O’Brien plans to take a knee during the National Anthem, in solidarity with his players, to protest racial inequality and police brutality.
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“Yeah, I’ll take a knee — I’m all for it,” O’Brien told the Houston Chronicle. “The players have a right to protest, a right to be heard and a right to be who they are. They’re not taking a knee because they’re against our flag. They’re taking a knee because they haven’t been treated equally in this country for over 400 years.”
O’Brien attended George Floyd’s funeral, joining several other players and staff members associated with the Texans.
“It wasn’t a conscious effort,” O’Brien told the Chronicle about the team attending Floyd’s funeral. “It wasn’t like we had a conversation together and decided to do it. I think we just said enough is enough, and we’ve got to do what’s right. As an organization, we’re part of the conversation, and we want to do our part.”
Floyd died on May 25, after former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes. Protests erupted around the world afterward, calling for drastic policing reform and the defunding of police.
[Via]
