PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Doug Pederson has made his feelings clear about the importance of social justice. It just took time in Pederson's life to fully grasp the situation.
As the Eagles prepared for another day of practice on Saturday, Pederson took time before the workout to talk about how his team continues to have an open dialogue on social justice. Pederson has always encouraged his players to speak about the issue, but it took until his college days for Pederson to have a greater appreciation for the situation.
"I didn't have many Black families in my community," said Pederson. "I grew up primarily in a white community, and it wasn't until I really went to college that I was around Black athletes and their families. I told my teams, I don't understand a lot of these players, just where they grew up and some of the life struggles that they've gone through at early ages."
Pederson has made it clear to his players he will always have an open mind as well as two open ears on the subject. It is all part of the new reality NFL coaches are dealing with in these unique times. In addition to worrying about the game, Pederson believes a coach must do his part to help understand how the climate of social justice affects his players on and off the field.
"I am the head coach and dealing with football," Pederson said. "But also, we're dealing with life issues and life struggles that a lot of our players go through on a daily basis, so it's more than football. For me, it's about listening to them and trying to understand them more and to have a clearer picture as to what they go through when they leave this building."
The sports world was partially shut down this past week. The NBA elected to stop playing for three days to bring attention to the issue of social justice. The NHL, along with several baseball teams, also elected to strike for social justice, and several NFL teams decided to halt practice for a day. While the Eagles elected to continue practicing, the team and their coach understand the importance of the issue as compared to football.
"It's obviously something that is real," said Pederson. "It hits all of us. It hits everybody a little bit differently but at the same time, I'm focused on my players and the well-being of my players, and quite frankly, there's times when sports get put to the side because of some of these issues."
The season gets underway for the Eagles on September 13 in Washington. Meanwhile, Pederson will continue to listen to his players and do his part to help improve a very sensitive situation.
"A lot of our black players are hurting from the standpoint of this is close to home for many of them," Pederson said. "For me, it's about understanding. "It's about learning. It's about gaining knowledge, and then being able to support our guys."
