Vikings players criticize George Floyd’s NFL statement

The NFL released a statement in response to the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. But, according to two players who make a living in the city where Floyd was killed, Vikings linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, it wasn’t good enough. Players criticized that statement and insisted that more needs to be done. The two, members of the team’s social justice committee, expressed frustration with a series of identical tweets.

“His statement said nothing,” said one of the tweets. “Your league is built on black athletes. Vague answers do nothing. Let the players know what you REALLY are doing. And we know what silence means.

The tweet included a photo of the NFL logo with the words: “WE WANT ANSWERS.”

As protests and riots erupted across the country after Floyd’s death, and particularly heated in Minneapolis, the NFL released a statement offering its condolences to the Floyd family, and two other recently killed African-Americans: Breonna. Taylor, who was shot by Louisville police officers in March, and Ahmaud Arbery, whose death in Georgia in February is being investigated as a federal hate crime.

In the statement, the league said, “We accept that responsibility and are committed to continuing the important work to address these systemic issues together with our players, clubs and partners.”