NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted on Friday that the league did not do a good enough job listening to players’ concerns on racism and social injustice in the past, and it appears some owners are already striving to do better.
According to Paul Schwartz of The New York Post, Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch participated in a meeting on Friday between players and the coaching staff to discuss the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer that has sparked protests regarding race in America.
Mara and Tisch joined the remote meeting to listen and gain a better understanding of the issues being discussed from the players’ perspective.
Giants rookie head coach Joe Judge had reportedly been having discussions with players all week regarding the subject prior to Friday’s meeting that included ownership.
Giants players, like much of the NFL, have been vocal in recent weeks speaking out against police brutality. Star running back Saquon Barkley has been among the most active voices, sharing a photoshopped image of himself wearing a T-shirt that reads “I can’t breathe,” and also participated in a video with several other players – including teammate Sterling Shepard – demanding action from the NFL.
In a statement the Giants released last week, the organization said that players and coaches have spent the week talking “about the hurt, the pain, the frustration and the anger” following Floyd’s death.
“We continue to talk about what we can do to help unite and heal and, more important, create real opportunity and meaningful change,” the statement read. “We have a responsibility as citizens to work in a constructive way. What we do to make a difference is what is most important. We have the ability to advocate for social justice and sustained change.”