Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is speaking out against racism, in the wake of the senseless death of George Floyd. The 44-year-old unexpectedly joined a Zoom call, intended for the defensive assistant coaches, so he could speak his mind on the timely issue. He later shared his comments on social media as well.
“The past couple of days have been of personal reflection and some really great conversations with our owner, Ms. Amy [Adams Strunk] and our general manager, Jon Robinson, and most especially our football team,” Mike began (via The Tennessean). “There are just some things that I would like to say. First, to acknowledge my own personal privilege, one that’s real.
Coach Mike Vrabel: "Leaders are prepared. Leaders take decisive action and inspire a group of people towards a common goal. That common goal is inclusion, diversity, equality, opportunity." pic.twitter.com/PxFBWtt7c3
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) June 2, 2020
“I’d like to acknowledge a social blind spot that either I was unaware of or chose not to see,” he continued. “I’ve had the unbelievable opportunity to listen to our players the last two days in our team meetings. Listen to them with an open mind and hear and learn what they believe in and how they feel.”
Mike went on to acknowledge that, even though the Titans appear to be diverse, there is still much work to be done for racial unity and equality.
“Amy, Jon and myself have tried to put great people and great fathers and great husbands and great student-athletes onto our football team,” Mike noted. “And the majority of those men are African American, with a much different experience and background than I’ll ever know. And by listening and understanding, those thoughts and feelings, how they feel, has helped me recognize, I think, what’s important.
“And what’s important is that we find ways to respect each other’s feelings,” he added. “We respect each other’s beliefs, that we respect each other’s efforts to make positive change in our community where we work, the communities where we live and the communities where we grew up.”
Mike concluded his heartfelt comments with encouraging those in leadership positions, including with the Tennessee Titans, to continue striving towards racial equality and compassion.
“I would say that, in closing, leaders are prepared,” Mike noted. “Leaders take decisive action and inspire a group of people towards a common goal. That common goal is inclusion, diversity, equality, opportunity, and so on behalf of the Tennessee Titans, our owner, our general manager, the head football coach, our staff, we want to support and we’ll continue to help lead our players as we work toward that common goal.”
As of now, the NFL plans on starting all games on time. The Titans first pre-season game is August 15 against the Redskins. Their first regular season game is on September 14, in Denver against the Broncos. Find their schedule by visiting TennesseeTitans.com.
