Drafted as a production of tree Fort Media, Clutch Sports Group, and I Heart Radio. It's been ten days since George Floyd was brutally murdered. How many times do we need to ask you to listen to your players? What will it take for one of us to be murdered bout
police brutality? What if I was George Floyd, If I was George Floyd, If I was George Floyd, if I was George if I was George Floyd, George Floyd, I am Brian, I am About, I am Eric, I am Tamir Right Marker, I am Walking Scott, I am Michael Brown, I am Samuel the Boys. I am Friend. I'm find of wife Jordan Baker, who will not be silent in the protest. It shouldn't take this long, Love, then so on, behalf of the National Football League. This is what we
the players would like to hear you. Stay. We National condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. Be week National admit wrong and silence in our players from peacefully protesting. We believe black lives matter. Black lives matters.
Welcome back to Drafted. You just heard the biggest stars in football from Super Bowl m v P Patrick Mahomes Rookie of the Year sa Kwan Barkley, to this year's number two draft pick, Washington rookie Chase Young, all of them featured in a rogue viral video demanding change in
the NFL and our country. In previous episodes, we've gotten a unique look at the lives of eight athletes entering the National Football League, and now in the final installment of this season of Drafted, these players are joining their teams and beginning their careers in the middle of a pandemic during a social revolution denouncing racial injustice, police brutality, and systemic oppression. People are protesting everywhere, during sporting events
and in the streets. For the first time in their careers, the eight NFL rookies we've been hearing from will have a major platform for their voices, one that has been shrouded in political controversy since two thousand sixteen. It's almost a three sixty going back to Kaepernick. That's Damarius Bilbo from Clutched Sports Group, Like when you have a guy that was as talented as he is and he stood up for something and our our neil for something and
end up not being employed anymore. You know, it puts fair in these guys. What began as a debate about kneeling during the national anthem turned into worldwide outrage over officers taking a much more horrifying knee on the neck of another man. I won't justice for my brother, my big brother. That's Big Floord. Everybody know who Big Floyd is. Now everybody gonna remember him around the world. He's going to change the world. In death, George Floyd has become
the symbol for action everywhere. His final words I can't breathe have been displayed on signs and chanted by crowds in solidarity protests across the globe. A world already turned upside down by the novel Coronavirus, became further disrupted by the tragedy in May, affecting politics, business, culture, and of course sports. The George Floyd videos one of the most disturbing things that I've ever seen personally. That's cornerback Bryce
Hall now with the New York Jets. The reality is just that, you know, I haven't experienced something to that kind of depth, and to see that for myself and internalized that was shocking, And it's a different thing when you hear about things um, when you are taught things from other people or in school, when you learn things UM versus actually being present during in a situation and environment where you see the whole thing infold and manifest
with your own eyes. You know, it's just it's just kind of awakening and come to realization that this stuff is real. My dad he grew up in Louisiana and he's kind of been exposed to some things along those lines. And some of the things that my dad talks about, you know, he's not just saying it just to say it. You know, it's it's very real. Bryce's father wanted to shield his children from the racism he experienced in this country, repeating occurrence. He was certain his kids would also be
subjected to. I have so I have two older brothers, my blood brothers, um there, and their names are Derek and Philip, and obviously my name is Bryce. But he had named us these names because he never wanted us to have a disadvantage if somebody were to look at our names and they couldn't tell if you know who we are, but they just looked on paper and they wouldn't be able to racially profile you know, they sound just like any other name, so they couldn't discriminate on
the name. And I thought that was something that I just kind of blew my mind. Was very interesting because I never knew that, and that's something that he shared with me recently. I grew up in the South and we's in Dad Michael Hall, So my exposure to racism or a feeling of blacks being inferior or treated differently or whatever, I mean, that was a reality there. If you're a black person, you defer to white people. In
particularly older black people were trained that way. One world, all I had was a band director, Mr. Wilhide in sixth grade. Um, he was a black man. If he would come from the different he would go to a couple of different schools and teach a band. He came to school late and we were messing around and stuff, you know, as kids cutting up. He basically thanked all of us and he told us, I want you all
to learn this lesson and never forget it. If you want to be treated, if you want to get equal treatment this world, if you apply for a job or anything, and you have to be twice as good just to get equal. Right, cognition and you never forget that. So that's why you can't afford to be wasting time not practicing, not working, not doing your homework. And that lesson stuck with me. So I always realized, as a black person, I've got to try twice as hard just to get
a fair break. And that's the injustice, that's the unfairness, that's what we've had to deal with. And Bryce and he always felt like, well, things are different. I'm not getting treated differently. That was your world. That's not my world. But when you see what happened to George Floyd Nor, my world is still exists. That world has never gone away.
So I think that was like a bucket of cold water in his face to realize that, you know, things have changed, but they haven't changed that much at all. Has been taught to stand up for yourself and stand up for what you believe in. That's Denver Broncos cornerback is saying, Bassie, if I see somebody treating my teammate, my classmate a different way, you know that's gonna affect me because they could easily turn that that hate towards
me or something. You know. So when I was younger, my parents would always be like, you know, not everybody's your friend. Be careful what you say around these people who are act the third way around these people because they don't. You don't want them to think something else
than what it is. Similar to how Bryce didn't feel or experience the overt racism his dad warned him about on a day to day basis, is saying also didn't think the warnings applied to his daily existence, at least not until one night this past summer, while he was home waiting to join his new team for training camp. I was in Atlanta, uh Lily around the corner down the street from where Brookes was shot and killed at that Wendy's Um. Less than the while away I was.
I was right there, and I remember having that conversation with my parents, the fear and their voices, and like I said, those things, when you see those things happen, that's when you start to realize, Oh, this is what she was trying to tell me. This is what my dad was telling me about when I was growing up. This is what he means. This is what he meant
by you don't talk back to a police officer. Don't do this, don't you know carry yourself a certain way, So do everything in your power that no harm comes to you. And that's just how it is growing up as an African American. These are things that black people have been enduring for four years, these social injustices. It's just it's like a it's like that bad dream that you keep having. It's just you keep having that same nightmare.
Tragon Martin was the first time that I really felt that, And then you have all these Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Eric Gardner, Like I said, that bad dream keeps happening and happening and happening. George Floyd, you know, keeps happening. Brianna Taylor, it keeps happening. That was an accident. It should have never happened. They were at the wrong house. She was not supposed to be killed. This is Garmet, Mama Lou, another member of Clutched Sports Group. So why
didn't Why has no one done anything about that? That's that's what makes you feel like the experience of a black woman and a black man are different. The cops in that situation, in Brianna Taylor's situation have yet to be arrested. Garmet is part of the team representing many of the top rookies joining the NFL, and she offers a rarely heard perspective in this predominantly male sports world.
When you talk about in dissect the safety of what it means to be a black woman in this place, when you don't feel protected one because of your sex, because the people that should be protecting you, you gotta worry about them harming you. You see cops body slamming women, You hear about cops raping women that are taken into custody. You don't feel valued when you are constantly shown video of your life meaning nothing. You feel insignificant. You feel helpless.
When you are a woman and you're sleeping in your bed and you die, and your cops are your killers, your murderers are still walking enjoying their life, you feel
like nobody cares. So in the same way we are enraged and making sure what happened or whatever will happen with George Floyd's murderers, whatever happened to the men that murdered mad Aubrey, I just want us to have that same concern and compassion for Brianna Taylor and every other woman who has lost her life at the hands of the same social injustices and the same needs on next.
A lot of times, sorry, a lot of times black women are encouraged and forced to be strong, and it doesn't always seem like people see that we need to be soft too, and we need to be protected, and we need to be cared for, and we need justice. We go and march for our brothers. We go and make sure that their lives are never forgotten. That who killed them, whoever her harm them, we go and make sure that they go to court, go to jail. Whatever
needs to happen, we make that happen. As a woman, as a black woman, I would love to see us make that happen for us. I'm sorry, I was not expecting to cry. We'll be right back. When you talk about the word hate, it doesn't have a color. Hate is a mindset Rich Paul had of clut sports. It's something that's taught to you based upon an environment that you grew up in a situation that you're going through.
And then there's the other layer added to where colors added because as an individual, you have to have someone to take that hate out on. So here we are. This is the first time I feel like people are listening and the right steps are being taken. Is well things happen overnight. No, can you expect people to feel sorry for you? No, but we can take two steps for me. It starts with better educating yourself all the
way around the board. The only way this system could change is its leaders has to be willing to listen and want to change. I think seeing lives being taken away, they've been taking us almost like it's become so second nature to see these type things. To marry his billbo again. It puts the fear of God and me when I get pulled over, when I even see a police officer come behind me, And you don't want to live like that. And I found this topic just occupying. It affects the
way I raised my son. It affects, you know, the way I moved, Like the way I jump. I mean literally when I jump in my car. Now I'm looking around in the car, I'm making I'm checking my lights, making sure lights because I don't want to get pulled over. You know what I'm saying. I'm just it's just it's
just it completely changes everything and how you move. And you know what I'm saying, I love being a black man, you know, and you know, but it's some days that I wake up and I'm just like, when is this gonna hit home? You know what I'm saying, When is it gonna you know? Because like I, like I said, I've been pulled over by cops and I've seen and I'm a big dude, I've seen the fear and I kind of get emotionally even talking about it because it sucks. Man.
It's just it's something that you know, like you have kids, you don't even want to raise kids, Like I we talked about having another kid at one point. It's like you don't even want to bring another kid in the world. Man. For to Marrus, it's not just the fear of what might happen. It's about what has already happened and what continues to happen the community I live in. I'm the only African American family in my community. It was hard for me to move into this neighbor hood. Million dollar
homes in this neighborhood and see everybody. I moved my family here for a reason, and then all the windows in the front of my home were busted. To have my home vandalized to that extent, and uh, to see the camera pick up the white kids faces, multiple white kids faces, and no arrest being made, and it's just kind of like goes away. But it's hard for me to walk this neighborhood and blame everybody for that right, for that one person's actions, because I have, for for
a moment, I was better, I was mad. I was like, man, I moved my family here because it's a beautiful neighborhood, grade school systems, and we have a lovely home just like everybody else on the block, you know, But why my home? And then you start to kind of look at yourself and they don't know me, they don't know you know, my heart, they don't know my family, And this is how we welcome to this neighborhood, if that's
what it was. But it was hard for me to leave that someone didn't intentionally do this to my home because I had just been here for a couple of months and um. But again, I don't judge a whole race of people for one person's actions, because I know how that feels to be pre judged before you even get in the room with people. Uh, And that's what coming from mass point allowed me to do it allowed
me to see very diverse people. Damarius grew up in Moss Point, Mississippi, a place where he earned high school All American accolades and football and baseball, but that athletic success didn't change how people in the area saw him. I grew up in Masspow, Mississippi, really small town on
the Gulf coast of Mississippi. I mean it's a hop from Mobile, Alabama, and I had my fair share of running with people with Confederate flags on their trucks and throwing bottles out of a window at me when I was running just trying to get the work out in, or you know, being in the middle of a baseball game and second baseman calling me the inn word, and you know things like that. So I seen my share of racism, but that doesn't breed hate in my heart.
After the George Floyd thing, obviously there were a lot of situation from Trey von Martin, Philando Cashier to all these people who have before George Floyd. But to finally see it and have that that moment where that could have been a friend of brother, a cousin and made it more realistic. What it made it real because that man life was taken right in front of all our eyes. So you know, I've had players again going back to that that that John Lewis quote. You know, that's not fair,
that's not right, that's unjust. You know, we have to do something about it because it's a more obligation. Just five weeks after George Floyd's death, we lost Congressman John Lewis, the trail blazing civil rights legend from Georgia, a leader in this movement and many of the others that came before. The late Congressman, often referred to as the conscience of Congress, regularly spoke on this inherent obligation stand out, speak up when you see something that is not right, not fair,
not just. If you have a moral obligation to do something, to say something and not be quiet. As Dr Martino the King Jr. Said, hate is too heavy a burden to bed. Yeah, we have come a distance. We made a lot of programs as a nation and as a people, but we're not there yet. Congressman Lewis participated in this fight since the nineteen sixties, when Americans last experienced protests
of this magnitude. Let at the time by Dr Martin Luther King Jr. You know, as I looked too, people who have been through so much adversity but have made a huge difference. That's Bryce Hall again, Martin Luther King. One of the things he's famous for saying is, you know, darkness can't drive out darkness, only light can do that. In the same with hate. You can't drive out hate with hate. It takes love, and so I truly believe that's the answer. You know, what I'm trying to model
is having to move with love first. And you know that's not the easiest thing, but you know it's it's a commandment because you know, that's what one thing we are called to do. And if we could ever get that right, I think we will see a huge impact and a huge difference on everything that we're seeing. We'll be right back. As bad as it sounds, you know, I'm glad that conversation is being had. I'm glad people are starting to realize that change needs to happen once again.
It's saying Bassie football was taken away. People are starting now to focus on things outside of just what they can go through in their daily lives, their daily routine, and are trying to realize that other people around them, even the people closest to them, could be going through things and and are affected by these these events, and people are starting to be more considerate towards that, and conversations are being to have that that haven't happened before,
and people are trying to implement change into how we operate. So just like I said, I've been growing up with it. I've been living it like my whole life. I'm glad people's eyes are starting to open up. And now other people, it's like other people are starting now to you know, see into what's been going on. It's not always easy. You know, I'm not gonna sit here and say that I've always done that and I've always even though that's
what's been in my heart. But that's something I'm learning, like as a leader, and some something that um needs to be done is understanding that, you know, one of the I think one of the things I'm really learning, especially during the times, is no matter what you do, I mean, like, you can be the most kind person, you can smile, you can just care for people, but work through all less of that, there's gonna be some
somebody who just this. You're not always going to be able to please everybody is what I'm trying to get at. And so then it comes down to standing for your core and what you believe and to your point of saying when you see something, say in something. And that's very, very true because like a lot of times we don't because of the you know, it's easier to avoid timeflict
and it's easier to let something slide. But I mean, part of being of leadership is stepping outside that comfort zone and understanding that you got to stand for your convictions and if you don't, you know, um my, my wife loves to remind me that wife is Nzelville Yun who said yes to Bryce's proposal last episode. They're now happily married. My wife loves to remind me, if you don't stand for anything, you'll fall for everything. And so that's one of the areas that I'm growing in. But
that's absolutely something I believe in. My core is is is that it is if you see something, you say something, do something, say something, don't stay quiet in the face of injustice. John Lewis's message is more important than ever. Our four mothers and our forefathers wrote us to this place maybe our four mothers and our forefathers all came to this great land in different ships. But as the late E. Philorandolv said on one occasion, we are all in the same boat now, and we must look out
for each other and care for each other. You're never too young or too old to lead, to speak up, to speak out and getting good trouble necessary trouble you cannot afford to stand on the slideline. We're seeing history unfold to marry his billbo again, and things are are changing. But the thing about the civil rights movement wasn't a weak thing. It wasn't a month thing, it wasn't a year thing. It went on and on and on until things changed. And I think that's what we have to understand,
that we have to keep the consistency going. You know. Yeah, it might start off with with riots and marches and things like that. At first, that's the attention grabber, but at some point, what do we drive all that momentum towards getting things changed and find a solution. Here's Garmet Mama Loo again on what she sees firsthand from NFL players and what needs to happen next. Those black men, those strong black men that I know that are in the league, the ones that stand for something, that want
to use their platform to highlight those things. They haven't let up. They're not They're always going to be vocal about injustices. You have people like Eric Reid who has not stopped. He was right there kneeling with Colin Kaepernick, and he has not stopped using his voice, using his platforms, using his social media, whatever is necessary to keep the Black Lives Matter message going. The importance of understanding and
highlighting social injustices until they are no longer injustices. There are a lot of situations that I unfortunately we can go back in history and like it's like it's repeating itself. But one of my favorite quotes is lessons are repeated until lessons are learned. We haven't learned our lesson yet. I think that we should still be like, out there, you do whatever that means for you, whatever protesting means
for you. If it means marching, if it means not spending money in certain places, if it means signing petitions and organizing petitions, if it means posting links, if it means going out and making sure the the protesters have water. Whatever it means for you to make sure that this message and this mission does not die down. I feel
like you should still be doing that. Every two thousand and twenty NFL rookie faces a decision do they want to carry the torch of protesting and activism and professional sports Beyond the well known examples like Muhammad Ali fighting against war and racism and for civil rights, there's Tommy Smith and John Carlos stand at the Olympics waiting for their medals on the podium, fists clenched above their heads
and protest against racial discrimination. Jackie Robinson calling out Major League Baseball for its lack of black managers on the anniversary of his day you with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Colin Kaepernick bona fide star striving to use his new found platform to call attention to police brutality and racial inequality and losing his career as a result. But the tide may have turned. We the National Football League condemn racism in the systematic oppression of black people. This is
Commissioner Roger Goodell. On June five, We the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protests.
We the National Football League believe black lives matter. The NFL's brightest stars stood up and said something, and their league responded and what is being described as a stunning reversal of policy at a bell Weather for the national conversation and movement, the NFL changed its position and this novel support creates an opportunity and a huge responsibility for these young players entering the league because we look at our athletes as role models and we listen to their
voices in the media. Because sports can bring us together, they can help pave the way forward. We all have a platform, no matter how big are small. Demarious Bilbo again, you know, if you can go to war with your brother in the football game for four quarters and you can play a nine inning baseball game with me, and then you should be able to fight this fight with me.
And I think that's when people will start seeing the change with NASCAR, right when they decided to remove the Confederate flag, a scene as an all white sport being really diversifying. We're bringing a guy like Alvin Kamara and you got a young kid from Atlanta with Dres and a nose ring, you know, out there waving a flag at NASCAR. It's a beautiful thing to see. And I think what we need to do is just share a
bit of our world with with different people. Just bring them in our world as we're going in their world. And I think when you have that perspective, you have a different understanding. You have to tear some of those walls down to to build some positive things back up. And from what I've been saying that it looks as if it's going in the right direction. The future depends on the Alvin kamara is waving a green flag at Bristol Motor Speedway. It depends on the Patrick mahomes Is
and Deshaun Watson's demanding change in a viral video. It rests on the Bryce Halls, that Chase Young's, the Saying Bassies, the Tremaine Anchrums and Jeff Okudas, the Leviscus Chelts and the Keyshawn Vaughans and the Mackay Beckton's. Because we look to our athletes as role models and we listen to their voices in the media, sports can bring us together and help pave the way forward and can inspire young people all over the country to stand up, speak up,
and speak out, refusing to remain on the sidelines. We're at a time where our country and our world is really getting shaken. And when that happens a lot of times, and when I relate this to my own life, and when storms of life come, you really have to rely on your foundation, and that's what you've what's inside you.
And I believe America is a strong country. But whenever you go through things that shake you at your core and shake your foundation and shake everything that you know and you believe, it takes something like a crushing before we can get to the point of where we can
grow and and get better. And you know, that's one of the reasons I feel like I've been put on this earth is to help um be a part of the hope and be a part of a difference being made, because I truly believe that, like everybody was born for such a time as this, nobody's here on accidents, And yes, I do believe there's hope. I absolutely believed his whole drafted as a production of tree Fort Media, Clutch Sports Group,
and I Heart Radio. The executive producers are Kelly Garner, Lisa Ammerman, Eric slot Seawan To Toone, l Key, and me Keegan Michael Key. The series is produced and written by Eric Winer. Jared Brom is our coordinating producer. Tom Monahan is our senior audio engineer. Mixed and edited by Steven Johnson, additional production help from Tim Shower, June Rosen,
and Hayley Mandelberg. For transcripts of the show and more information on Drafted, go to tree Fort dot fm, and for more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.