The Yankees had a lot of conversations in the clubhouse last season about social justice issues, and the team has watched this year already as several athletes (including Nets guard Kyrie Irving) have continued to take a stand to enact change.
Those conversations haven’t been group-wide as of yet this year, manager Aaron Boone said on his weekly Carton & Roberts appearance Thursday, but they have been prevalent among smaller groups – including himself with coaches – and absolutely everyone was on board with Aaron Hicks’ decision to sit out Monday’s game after the Daunte Wright shooting in Minnesota on Sunday.
“Obviously with what came up with Aaron, I think he felt supported, and had a number of conversations with different players to hear him out, and see where he was coming from,” Boone said.
Hicks spoke about the absence after Tuesday’s game, saying he weighed the decision as late as driving to the stadium in Dunedin, but ultimately felt it was the right move to sit out – and echoed Boone’s sentiments of support.
“It was incredible. Just them being able to say they’ve got my back, even if they don’t understand what it’s like and what Black Americans in this country have to deal with sometimes,” Hicks said Monday. “It’s just nice to kind of hear, ‘hey, it’s all good, we’ll take care of this game for you.’”
Being able to better understand each individual and their individual backgrounds in a setting like the Yankees clubhouse, Boone said Thursday, is the first step to enacting serious change.
“Those are important conversations to have,” he said. “Not all of us are going to always agree on things, but it’s important to understand where each individual is coming from, and how they deal with things differently. We try to have as open a forum as possible, to understand and support each other as best as we can.”
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