Chiefs table Super Bowl celebration, share frustrations about ongoing social injustice
The Chiefs were scheduled to cap off their ReLIV campaign, a commemoration of the team’s run to the Super Bowl championship, this week.
Recent civil unrest in the country, however, has prompted the Chiefs to temporarily postpone that sports-related celebration to a later time.
“We will continue to ReLIV the pinnacle of last year’s historic season soon,” the Chiefs announced in a statement posted Monday on Twitter, “but we believe our collective attention should be focused on the important conversations that are happening in our country.”
The Chiefs specifically addressed the recent social- and racial-injustice incidents that have prompted protests in Kansas City and around the country for the past week.
“The senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery are a grievous reminder of the inequality that exist in our nation,” the Chiefs’ statement read. “We all have an opportunity and a responsibility to advocate for change.”
The death of Floyd became a tipping point in the national outcry over racial inequalities, especially occurrences involving law enforcement. Floyd, an African-American man, died May 24 in Minneapolis shortly after being physically detained by police.
Video posted on social media showed Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeling for several minutes with his knee on the neck of Floyd, who was in a prone position. Chauvin on Friday was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Taylor, an African American woman, died in her home in mid-March as a result of multiple gunshot wounds after Louisville police served a “no-knock warrant,” according to the Courier-Journal.
Arbery, an African American man, was fatally shot by a white male on Feb. 23 while jogging in Glynn County, Georgia. The incident was captured on video, which was posted on social media platforms and quickly went viral.
With the protests continuing in the greater Kansas City metro and from coast to coast, the Chiefs are preaching a message of togetherness to work through the problems.
“Part of the mission of the Chiefs is to ‘Unite Our Community,’ and we need unity now more than ever,” the team’s statement concluded. “We will get back to bringing you updates and an inside look at your team in the days to come, but for now, we encourage you to listen to, learn from, and most importantly, love one another.”
Earlier Monday, quarterback Patrick Mahomes posted a statement of his own on Twitter.
“First, I send prayers to the family and friends of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Aubry (sic),” Mahomes wrote. “As I have watched everything that has happened over the last week and even before then, I have tried to put my feelings into words. As a kid who was born with a black dad and white mom, I have been blessed to be accepted for who I am my entire life, but that isn’t the case for everyone. The senseless murders that we have witnessed are wrong and cannot continue in our country. ...”
Mahomes’ statement concluded with a call for action now toward creating a better future for all.
“We all need to treat each other like brothers and sisters, and become something better. Let’s be the world where my little sister, generations to come, and even my future kids will grow up never having to experience these tragedies and instead love each other unconditionally! Love and Unite! #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd”
The Chiefs join a growing list of sports organizations, coaches and high-profile athletes like Mahomes voicing concern over social injustice.
Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self on Saturday released a statement condemning racism, while Missouri men’s basketball coach Cuonzo Martin on Sunday issued a statement denouncing violence against people of color.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones earlier Monday morning also tweeted a message, and kicker Harrison Butker addressed Floyd’s death and social injustice with reporters during a Zoom call last week.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Chiefs table Super Bowl celebration, share frustrations about ongoing social injustice."
