Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka wasn’t looking to be the face of a movement.
But he does think the movement needs more faces which look like his.
Moved by the player memo to the league asking for help with awareness of issues of racial inequality and criminal justice reform, Hauschka said he wanted “to do more” to advance the discussion.
“I think a lot of white people don’t understand it and are afraid to be involved,” Hauschka said, via Kimberley Martin of the Buffalo News. “And I think it’s important for white people to see there is inequality everywhere in the country right now, and in the world.”
There has been some diversity in the protests which have draw so much attention in the last 13 months, but not a lot. Eagles defensive end Chris Long acknowledged that more white players should become involved, and stood with his arm around teammate Malcolm Jenkins, who raised his fist during the national anthem. Browns tight end Seth DeValve, whose wife is black, became the first white player to kneel during the anthem as part of a group protest there, and and Seahawks center Justin Britt put a hand on the shoulder of teammate Michael Bennett, who was kneeling during the anthem.
Hauschka has been in enough locker rooms to know that they’re made of people from every corner of the country, and every background. And he hopes that players coming together can show people outside the world of sports that positive changes can be made when you work together.
“So that’s where it comes from: a place of love and caring and wanting to see the world a better place,” Haushcka said. “I don’t have all the answers, I don’t even pretend to. But I am open to talking about it and I am open to learning about it with the hopes that one day, either our generation or future generations, can improve racial inequality and how people are treated around the world.”
It seems like such a simple concept when he says it like that.
