Falcons coach Dan Quinn, who marched in the Buckhead Black Lives Matter protest over the offseason, will have the team practice and hold social-justice discussions Thursday.
Several sports teams elected not to play Wednesday in light of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., and the subsequent killing of protesters by an armed vigilante. In the NFL, Washington, along with the Colts, Jets and Lions, have skipped some practice time.
“So much has happened over the last 15 hours from when we left walk-through and into today,” Quinn said Thursday before practice. “It goes to show again that sports can have a meaningful role in our country and the power in unity. To me, we are definitely in a movement, and for us I think this is chance for us to listen and (create) space to do that as a team. I look forward to doing that.”
The Falcons have a social-justice committee that was formed in the wake of the Colin Kaepernick protests in the 2017 exhibition season.
“A lot to discuss,” Quinn said. “We’ve always acted collectively, as a group and as a team. We’ll do that again. Whether it’s action items or just some time to vent on some things. A lot going on from race issues, to pandemic, to the hurricane. A lot to discuss and manage with the team.”
Quinn is not sure what actions if any the team will elect to take.
“We are going to support the guys and create space to have the conversations,” Quinn said. “It started in the spring and continue over the summer.”
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