“Taking a Knee Is Not Getting It Done” – Raptors Consider Boycott
The media coverage of racial justice and police brutality issues is nothing but a pacifier, says Raptors guard Freddie VanVleet.
Freddie VanVleet said so in the wake of the revelation Raptors players are considering boycotting their next game vs Boston.
The players met on Tuesday to discuss how to react to the shooting of Jacob Blake. Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot in the back eight times by police officers in Kenosha, Wisonsin.
Footage from the Sunday incident shows Blake being held back as he tried to get into his van. He was shot from close range, and it was later confirmed that he is now paralyzed from the waist down.
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Guard Norman Powell confirmed that the team is considering sitting out the opener of the next round of their playoff campaign.
“It’s being talked about … taking a knee is not getting it done,” Norman Powell said.
It is clear the current events and the spotlight on athletes in particular is wearing on certain NBA players. Freddie VanVleet spoke in no uncertain terms about how the media coverage, while positive, will not affect real change.
“We knew coming here or not coming here was not going to stop anything, but I think ultimately playing or not playing puts pressure on somebody,” VanVleet said.
“At the end of the day, if we’re gonna sit here and talk about making change, then at some point we’re gonna have to put our [manhood] on the line and actually put something up to lose, rather than just money or visibility.â€
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“I’m just over the media aspect of it. It’s sensationalised, we talk about it everyday, that’s all we see, but it just feels like a big pacifier to me.
“Do we actually give an [expletive] about what’s going on, or is it just cool to wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the backdrop, or wear a T-shirt? Like, what does that really mean? Is it really doing anything?”
