FRISCO, TEXAS — As the social unrest continues in the world today, the NFC matchup against the Seahawks was not the sole topic of discussion on Thursday during player conference calls.
Today was another reminder that some things are bigger than football. At the forefront of Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper’s mind was the jury’s verdict not to prosecute any of the officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
On Wednesday, a grand jury in Louisville indicted one of three police officers, Brett Hankison, on three counts of wanton endangerment for shooting through the walls and into neighboring apartments in the home raid that ended the life of Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman in March. The other two officers were not indicted.
Her death sparked protests across the nation, along with demands for justice and for the police officers involved in her death to be held accountable in court. Professional athletes have taken a stand to combat racial inequality and systematic oppression.
Prescott has been extremely transparent on social issues and today was not an exception.
On the ruling, he discussed, “ That’s disgusting. I don’t understand that one at all. There are a lot of things in this country that I don’t understand that we’re looking at right now. It’s about us educating ourselves, about us getting registered to vote and going out there and doing that; making sure that we are educated on who we are voting for and what they are going to do while they’re in office. That’s one of the biggest things I can say we’ve taken a step as a team is trying to just talk about that, the importance to vote, the importance for our voices to be heard throughout our community and be leaders there. That’s simply unacceptable and I don’t understand an officer not being charged in that case.”
Cooper also offered up his decision on the ruling after the team’s morning practice,
“We haven’t talked about it as a team. It is definitely something that has been on my heart and crossed my mind. To reiterate things I have been seeing in the media, I am not surprised by the verdict. It has been happening over and over. My heart goes out to her and her family.”
The Cowboys, like many sports organizations will continue to have open conversations on racial injustice and fight to be catalysts for change. Throughout the first two games of the 2020 NFL season, Dallas players and coaches have shown up to pre-game warm ups wearing shirts that read “We All Bleed The Same Color.”
