Patrick Mahomes successfully got a response from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after teaming up with other star players to demand the league explicitly condemn racism and renounce previous efforts to silence peaceful protests. Now the reigning Super Bowl MVP has laid out Step 2 for Goodell's plan to seek justice for the black community: "action."
"We think that's the first step," Mahomes said of Goodell's video response, according to the Kansas City Star's Sam McDowell. "But we want to make sure it leads to action."
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, whose words were echoed Wednesday by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks, another player featured in the players' message to the NFL, vowed to use his platform to continue advocating for social change.
"Enough is enough," he told reporters, alluding to the Memorial Day death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, as well as countless other racially charged incidents. "We've got to do something about this. I'm blessed to have this platform. Why not use it? ... We (need) to come together as players and show that we believe black lives matter ... We need to be the role models to go out there and take that step."
Mahomes' call to action comes hours after a contingent of more than 1,400 current and retired professional athletes, including fellow NFL stars, pledged support to a bill that would end qualified immunity for police officers. It also comes in the wake of the Vikings, who also saw Anthony Barr represented on the initial players video, joining a handful of teams to donate more money to social justice causes; the franchise pledged $5 million to various organizations in the name of combating racism on Wednesday.
For his own part, Mahomes has studied up on racial inequality and recently embraced a bigger, more vocal role as a player activist, per McDowell. Time will tell what the next step is for Mahomes, Goodell and the NFL as a whole.
