‘Absolutely they matter.’ Chiefs’ Andy Reid gives ardent speech on Black Lives Matter
Absolutely they matter.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid sidestepped his normal stoic demeanor as he delved into a speech on the Black Lives Matter movement, a monologue that lasted nearly five minutes and never wavered in its passion.
In his final meeting with the media before training camp, which will presumably begin next month, Reid opened by addressing the campaign that has overtaken the country’s largest cities and permeated throughout the NFL.
In full:
“It breaks my heart,” Reid began. “I’m an old head. I’ve been around long enough to see a few generations. (But) I’m so happy. I’m so fired up about our younger generation, man. I mean they are taking it, and they are attacking this thing the right way. We have this great country, and these kids know how great this country is. All they wanna do is make it better. I think that’s a beautiful thing.
“Like I said, I’m not getting any younger. I’ve got grandkids. I’m blessed these guys and ladies are doing this and standing up for what they believe. I was lucky enough to grow up around diverse cultures and religions and everything in Los Angeles. Obviously I was in sports at the same time, so my respect for people is for that — for people. We’re sitting here with this push on Black Lives Matter. And absolutely they matter, man. I think it’s a beautiful thing. I’m in complete support with them. I believe in communication. I believe in what my parents taught me about at times like this — you have large ears, you sit, and you listen, and you learn, and you become better. That’s where I’m at.
“I appreciate Patrick (Mahomes) and Tyrann (Mathieu) for what they did and standing up and making a statement that allows all of us to be in a better place where love is first and we can surround all of ourselves with great people and most of all respect people that we come in contact with.
“I go way back. I’m glad the heavenly father gave me an opportunity to be here, first of all. And then, there’s a reason why our players in the National Football League get so excited to come to work every day. The coaches get so excited. I’ll speak for myself; I don’t want to speak for others here. I get fired up every day because I get to work with our guys, and I get to see how much they thrive on life and competition and just the greatness they bring every day. I always wish that everybody could feel that. That’s what our guys want. They want to take this and allow others to feel it. We’ve got to be open-minded and open-hearted to do this.
“I respect how (Chiefs owner) Clark Hunt has taken this and jumped in with the players. I’m in support. I’m all ears. I want to learn, and I want to listen, and I want to help. And (team president) Mark Donovan has been just tremendous with the guys, as (general manager) Brett Veach has been in support.
“Tyrann and Patrick have kind of headed up with players in putting together some thoughts on what they can do to make things better in Kansas City here, and they’re working through that now, which again I appreciate and completely support it.
“Again, my heart goes out to the three people that have passed away, but this isn’t something that’s new. I saw it as a young person, and it’s going on today. We can all see it. You better believe it, man. You better believe it. It’s real, and it needs to end. And our hands, us old folks, man, this younger generation, they believe in themselves; they believe in each other; and they believe in equality. Let’s jump in, man. Let’s jump in full-fledge. Let’s jump in; let’s learn,;let’s listen, and let’s make this place even greater than it already is now. We have a chance to do that.”
Reid spoke to the media via a video call Wednesday for the first time since protests engulfed the streets of American cities, including ongoing gatherings in Kansas City, in response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25.
Many of Reid’s Chiefs players have been vocal across social media in their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which is aimed at eliminating systemic racism. Chiefs quarterback Mahomes and safety Mathieu appeared in a video with other notable NFL players in which they asked the league to recognize their demand for racial equality.
A day later, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell matched their words.
”We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter,” he said.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 4:17 PM.