Thread by @RzstProgramming

Highlights from a panel discussion between:

Stephen Ross (Dolphins owner)
Troy Vincent (NFL executive)
Anquan Boldin (Players Coalition founder)
Jocelyn Benson (RISE board member)
Swin Cash (New York Liberty)

Important: This discussion between members of parties involved in blackballing Kap and helping the league cover for it, occurred post-Kap protest, but pre-grievance.

Stephen Ross says he “really didn’t start as an activist” until the Miami Dolphins bullying incident when he discovered “racism was part of it.”

Ross says racism destroyed Detroit.

Ross started RISE to use sports to create change.

“If you look at sports today, sports is really the one place in the world today where there is equality.” - Stephen Ross

Ross says RISE exists to use sports “to create change dealing strictly with racism.”

Ross says people don’t want to talk about racism, “and it’s the one thing in America I think we have to get over and we really have to break down a lot of the barriers that exist today.”

Ross says RISE “isn’t another type of Black non-profit, because discrimination really comes from...”

:Ross fumbles to find a word, Troy Vincent assists, desires to not offend anyone:

“...Caucasians.”

He essentially says sports can be a model for all people working together.

Responding to how the NFL can help “race relations,” Troy Vincent says the NFL is the sports entertainment business leader and when it sees challenges it learns from mistakes.

“We learned a lot from the Jonathan Martin situation [and] the Kaepernick situation.”

Translation: The NFL is a business & views the “Kaepernick situation” as a challenge to it, akin to the bad PR Incognito’s racist bullying did.

We shouldn’t be surprised about these challenges because sports had them in the past, but, today, social media amplifies them more.

Vincent says the NFL has an opportunity to unify people.

“On Sundays no one wants to mix politics...they want to come out & enjoy their sport. ...It’s a time of week they can get away.”

He has shared RISE models & materials with the other clubs: Seattle, Boston, and Philly.

Troy Vincent says the NFL talked to other leagues and the NFL and NBA are 70-75% African American males. This “product” has “the right to talk and they have a platform.” Says the league should get behind the players.

Ross talk about how the sports leagues come together for RISE board meetings to address racism. He says “every league recognizes that America has a problem, and they want to have an impact in making this country...great.”

“Making this country great.”

“Today, what you are seeing is the athletes themselves wanting to be much more active and stepping up and being vocal about it.

As an owner, I encourage that.”

-Stephen Ross

Troy Vincent says the acceptance of the [police brutaity?] issue depends on the market.

“If it’s not organized, it gets out of control. The messages are off, and it creates more turmoil.”

He says it takes balance & he talked to the Jones family & cited Ross and Pete Carroll.

“There is a delicate balance. I got it all. I got the hate mail. I got it from the season ticket holders. I got the Kap’s jersey sent to me in the mail FedEx burned up. I got the letters from military, our servicemen and women, about their displeasure. I got it all.”
Troy Vincent

NFL executive Troy Vincent says he called back all those that sent hate mail and the burned Kap jersey. He let them rant and then tried to explain the athlete’s action or speech. He did his “10-15 minute” callbacks on game day hoping for “at least some conflict resolution.”

RISE board member Jocelyn Benson says, “Kaepernick taking a knee garnered a lot of attention to the work that athletes have been doing for a long time. And in some ways gave [RISE] an opportunity to demonstrate how athletes can bring people together to have conversations.”

Stephen Ross says he encouraged the 3 Dolphins players to take a knee during the National Anthem.

“I know a lot of owners precluded their players from [taking a knee]. I just think that’s not America.”

Stephen Ross says he made sure players that kneeled were not looked upon unfavorably “because I encouraged it.”

He says he thinks kneeling is good because “you have to start a conversation” that no one wants to have.

He says police brutaity exists and can’t be dismissed.

Troy Vincent says success looks like:

1. Teaching his kids to love and respect police despite what they see.

2. A league setting up “safe spaces” for all 32 teams, not just 16 teams, using RISE best practices, to engage topic and community.*