(670 The Score) As the NFL anticipates more frequent demonstrations of protest inside stadiums, the Bears have at least one player preparing to take a knee this season.
Veteran safety Jordan Lucas said he "110 percent" plans to kneel during the national anthem in protest against racial injustice and police brutality. While the Bears haven't decided about their actions as a team, Lucas feels it's a decision to be left to individuals.
Lucas, 26, expressed regret over not kneeling in 2016 when then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first did so. Lucas was a rookie with the Dolphins that season. Lucas played in Miami for his first two NFL seasons and then Kansas City for the past two years.
"I was scared to kneel," Lucas said on a teleconference Tuesday. "I didn't want to lose my position on the team. I didn't want to be looked at differently by front office or my coaches. I didn't have a name. I didn't really have a spot on the team. I didn't want to lose it. I just got there.
"A lot of people are seeing now that it's much bigger than the flag and disrespecting the flag. We're not disrespecting the flag nor the military. I think people are really starting to understand that now."
In the wake of George Floyd's killing at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May, Lucas has taken action that included donating to organizations fighting racial inequality and bail protesters out of jail.
With protests taking place in cities across the United States since Floyd's death, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a video last week the league will support players protesting peacefully.
"It was good," Lucas said of Goodell's statement. "I think it was what the world needed to hear from the NFL, but it wasn't enough. And I say that to only say this: Colin Kaepernick still needs to be addressed, I feel like, in order to make it right. Just like all the other companies that are saying they are with black people and they are with us through the fight, that sounds great. And we thank them for that. But now, it's about action.
"We just want peace. We just want justice. We want to be treated the same way as everybody. That's just the cold, hard facts."
Lucas will be one of several Bears safeties competing for a spot in the secondary.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
