BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns took the field Thursday but cut their practice session in half as a wave of protests continue to sweep through professional sports in the wake of another police shooting of an African American man.
On Thursday the Packers, Jets, Colts, Titans, Cardinals, Broncos and Washington Football Team cancelled their practices in protest of the lack of police reform nationwide.
“We’ve had a really good day of dialogue and I think it stems from a really good few months of dialogue,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said prior to practice Thursday afternoon. “I’m proud of those guys. I’m proud of the leaders on this team.
“We’re going to get our work in, and we’re going to get it in quickly.”
Browns players met Thursday morning and continued discussions throughout the day about how to approach the latest call for reform.
“We want to be heard,” Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said. “We want to promote change.”
Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Video of the shooting went viral and sparked outrage across the country.
The video showed Blake walking away from officers, who had drawn their guns, to the driver’s side door of a vehicle with his three children inside. An officer is seen grabbing the back of Blake’s shirt before firing seven rounds into Blake’s back. He was transported to a Milwaukee hospital and survived the shooting but is paralyzed from the waist down according to a family attorney.
“It is hard,” Garrett said. “Seeing stuff like that every day, it hurts.”
Police say that they were responding to a domestic disturbance call and two officers have been placed on administrative leave following the shooting.
On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game against the Orlando Magic. Playoff games between the Thunder and Rockets as well as Trail Blazers-Lakers were also postponed.
The WNBA also postponed their games along with the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday.
Browns players made the decision to practice, but shorten it to one hour, Thursday
“There’s a resolute feeling that these guys want to be part of the solution,” Stefanski said.
One step Garrett would like to see is hate speech on social media criminalized to prevent it from escalating to violent behavior. Garrett was recently the victim of receiving direct messages on social media filled with racial slurs.
