Colts safety Darius Butler wasn’t sure what to expect when he was part of the meetings with a group of NFL owners Tuesday.
As one of the 13 players who met with Commissioner Roger Goodell and a group of owners to discus ways to turn the recent national anthem protests from a distraction heightened from outside to a catalyst for change. And the fact nothing concrete was done during the meeting was encouraging to Butler.
“We could’ve just pieced together something and put it out there, but I don’t think it would have been something that was authentic,” Butler said, via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. “And that’s the most important thing from the players’ standpoint, that it’s real and genuine. Players have to kind of lead the way when it comes to this. Or we need to reach out to grass-roots organizations because they know what the needs are in the individual communities. Our issues in Indiana might not be the same as Miami or New York. . . .
“The most important thing for the players and the owners is that it’s something that’s long standing, not something that just lasts for a year and then dissipates. We want something that’s really going to be long-standing in the communities that the teams are in and to the communities that the players are from. It’s important for players to give back. And ownership and the league is showing that they’re supporting it.”
As much as anything, Butler seemed impressed by the bipartisan spirit, with ownership listening.
“The players need the owners, the owners need the players,” Butler said. “So, we kind of have to meet in the middle. They have what’s most important to them and we have what’s most important to us. We just have to meet in the middle and make it work for everybody and, most importantly, make it work for those in the communities that need the help.”
Realizing that players aren’t simply nameless, faceless providers of labor (despite the best efforts of helmets with facemasks and a strict uniform policy that keeps many people from realizing there are people under there) is a solid first step. Of course, the sense of surprise that’s the case is another story, but Butler was impressed by the initial steps, so long as they lead somewhere else.
