Jets cancel practice to protest shooting of Jacob Blake
Bradley McDougald #30 of the New York Jets runs drills at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on August 14, 2020 in Florham Park. Credit: Getty Images/Mike Stobe
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – The Jets were scheduled to practice at 9:20 a.m. on Thursday. Players and coaches and other team employees normally are out on the grass long before then, but the field at Atlantic Health Training Facility was empty.
They were inside the building, involved in a serious conversation about the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The talks began at around 8:45 a.m., and it was clear that the players did not want to practice, a league source said.
The Jets ended up cancelling practice, and they continued to have discussions about racial injustice and how they can address the issue and affect change.
Jets CEO Christopher Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas and coach Adam Gase all took part in the conversations. But these discussions were led by the players, and they lasted more than four hours, the source said.
The Jets are scheduled to be off on Friday. They won’t practice, but they plan to continue talking in hopes of coming up with a plan of action.
No players or members of the team were made available on Thursday, but the Jets delivered a strong message on social media. Their official account tweeted a picture of a black screen with the words, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” above a Jets’ emblem. The tweet included the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.
It’s expected the Jets will have a more official statement on Friday after a second day of discussions. Some of the Jets players took to Twitter following their meeting and expressed their feelings about what happened to in Kenosha.
Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot multiple times in the back while he was getting in his vehicle during a confrontation with police after they were called over a dispute involving Blake. Family members say he is paralyzed from the waist down.
Jets running back Le’Veon Bell tweeted: “we’ve been protecting the shield...it’s time for the shield to protect us.”
Rookie running back La’Mical Perine: “Without a Helmet I’m A Target…”
Cornerback Quincy Wilson: “Enough is enough.”
The Detroit Lions were the first NFL team to cancel practice to protest what happened to Blake. That was on Tuesday. The Washington Football Team followed on Wednesday when they announced that their Thursday scrimmage was cancelled.
The Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos all joined the Jets and cancelled their Thursday practices.
Other professional sports leagues have also taken a stand. The NBA postponed three playoff games on Wednesday after the Milwaukee Bucks stayed in the locker room instead of playing Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic. The NBA also postponed Thursday’s playoff games.
The NHL postponed their games on Thursday and Friday. Three Major League Baseball games were postponed on Wednesday night, and more games were postponed on Thursday, including the Mets' game against the Marlins.
Thursday wasn’t the first time the Jets have had team discussions about racial injustice or about Blake’s shooting. The Jets had a meeting Tuesday night, led by Johnson. Players said the conversation became emotional.
“It was the first time I’ve seen guys really affected as they were,” safety Bradley McDougald said Wednesday. “Some guys shed tears.”
Johnson also addressed the team in the spring after George Floyd died when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck on May 25. Johnson gave out his cell phone number to the team and told them to call him any time if they needed to talk.
Linebackers coach Frank Bush said he and the rest of the players appreciate how open Johnson has been during these troubling times. Bush said everyone was “stunned” when he gave out his number, and that he’s had “a huge” impact.
“Our ownership gets it,” Bush said. “We have team talks about it all the time. The head coach gets it. They’ve been out front with it in the sense of having team meetings, trying to get players to come up with an action plan. That’s what our players are doing – they’re trying to come up with an action plan that says, 'OK, we don't want to feel helpless.' We’re in a situation here where we’re coming up with an action plan so we don’t feel helpless going forward."
