It can take Sunday’s Panthers-Vikings game from the city that has been damaged physically and emotionally by tragic events throughout the past week.
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Many Vikings aren’t sure what to expect.
San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly said that Colin Kaepernick’s protest during the national anthem is bringing attention to an issue that needs addressing.
The protests escalated Wednesday and moved within a few blocks of the Carolina Panthers’ stadium, turning violent with gunshots and vandalism.
“I’ve seen these things happen over and over again”. I say that on one voice and also another voice that when you go public or when things happen in the community, it’s not the fact that things are happening. “I do”, Olsen said.
The league said it would continue to monitor the situation.
“I think there’s a group of people that want to protest the right way”.
Police have said that Scott was shot to death Tuesday by a black officer after he disregarded loud, repeated warnings to drop his gun.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he believes the players are making a good-faith effort to be active members and leaders of their communities and the protests and demonstrations of unity during the anthem are not meant, in his view, to be disrespectful of the flag or the US military.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, a three-times Pro Bowl selection, on Wednesday weighed in on Scott’s shooting and the topic of social justice.
“But we all have to be held accountable”, he said.
“Right now I would be”.
Cam Newton ― who previously said that America is “beyond” racism ― has changed his tune in light of Tuesday’s police shooting of a black man in Charlotte.
Wednesday night in uptown Charlotte, in particular, resembled more of a war zone than a typically lively, nightlife-driven area.
It has become increasingly rare in the current political environment for a major figure to take such a measured approach to such a divisive issue, but Newton said he views football as his platform to unite people. For us as athletes, what we can do is get out in our community. “It’s an escape for a lot of people – not just us, not just the players, for families, for friends, for people in the city to get away from their problems and just enjoy a good football game”.
He said Vikings players are unusually tight and that race has been easy to discuss with all his teammates. “There were white guys talking about the situation, black guys talking about the situation, we’re all in it together”. But when you go out of this, you’re no different from anybody. They’re young men. I’m not sure how many of them really know what’s going on.
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“It’s 2016, but 2016 is way worse off than it was in 2003”, he said. “I think if you do something wrong in this kind of system [of government] then you should be punished”.
