National Football League
Uncomfortable Conversations
National Football League

Uncomfortable Conversations

Updated Aug. 24, 2020 10:39 p.m. ET

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell this week joined Speak for Yourself co-host Emmanuel Acho on Acho's digital series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.

In the sit-down conversation, Commissioner Goodell and Acho touch on a range of subjects, but focused mainly on the polarizing topic of Colin Kaepernick, and subsequently other NFL players deciding to peacefully protest during the national anthem.

First, Commissioner Goodell gave an inside look as to why he felt it was important to engage in a dialogue with Acho on the controversial topic, and why confronting difficult topics is important. 

"You really don't learn until you're uncomfortable."

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Growing up as kid in Washington D.C. in the '60s during the height of the civil rights era and the Vietnam War, Commissioner Goodell shared his early experiences with politically divisive movements.

The commissioner also shed light on the activism of his father, Charles Goodell, who marched with Coretta Scott King at a Vietnam War rally.  

When asked what he wishes he knew back in 2016 during Kaepernick's peaceful protest that he knows now, Commissioner Goodell admitted he wasn't fully aware of what was going on in different neighborhoods across the country.

"I didn't know what was going on in the communities. And when I had the chance to sit with our players ⁠— I never had the chance to sit with Kap but I talked with Kenny Stills a lot. Eric Reid, Malcolm Jenkins, Anquan Boldin. So many other players ⁠— that, you know, some of them sacrificed a great deal."

Acho then asked the commissioner what he'd say to Kaepernick now, if given the opportunity.

"The first thing I'd say is: I wish we had listened earlier, Kap, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to."

Commissioner Goodell also emphasized that the demonstrations during the national anthem weren't about disrespecting the American flag or the military.

"It is not about the flag. The message here ... what our players are doing, is being mischaracterized. These are not people who are unpatriotic. They're not disloyal. They're not against our military."

Experiencing and witnessing acts of police brutality or domestic violence plays an enormous role in the understanding of what players are striving to change, Commissioner Goodell said. 

Having heard about but never having had those experiences himself, the commissioner explained how he sought out avenues to better understand.

"You go talk to a parent who's lost their child because of police brutality. It's better than hearing. You feel it. You know it and you see it and when that happens, it's really powerful."

Acho and Marcellus Wiley discussed Part 1 of the conversation on Monday's episode of Speak for Yourself, and what the next steps are.

Part 2 of Commissioner Goodell's interview on Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man was released later on Monday night. 

In this conversation, Commissioner Goodell and Acho speak about the NFL's responsibility to help fix the climate of our nation's current culture, as well player's rights to peacefully protest.

The second part of the interview begins with Acho sharing a segment from a previous episode with Commissioner Goodell, which was focused on interracial families.

In that segment, Acho asks several young black individuals about seeing black men being murdered by white people, and if that makes them feel any different about their white family members.

You can visually see the emotion within Commissioner Goodell as he watches the video and the fear these indivduals live with on a daily basis.

"Seeing somebody living in that kind of fear ... it's just not right," Commissioner Goodell says. "We've got to fix that and make this world better."

Acho and Commissioner Goodell go on to speak about player's rights to protest and the commissioner admitting that the NFL was wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier.

When asked if he will support players around the league who choose to peacefully protest during the national anthem, Commissioner Goodell said the following:

"Yes, we have never disciplined a single player for anything related to the national anthem, and I don't intend to. I don't think that's the right thing to do."

Acho later shifted the conversation to a more personal level, speaking to Commissioner Goodell about his life outside of being the commissioner of the NFL, and if he believes the league has an increased responsibility to fix the climate of our current culture.

"I think it's called leadership. People look to the NFL for leadership, and so we have to meet the call. We're fortunate to be in that position of leadership. What we can't do is let people down."

The conversation concludes on an extremely powerful note as Acho focuses in on Commissioner Goodell's commitment to the players across the NFL, as he asks what the commissioner's message would be to players, specifically pertaining to social injustice.

"To use our platform ... to try to find real solutions and real change, and not give up on that.

"It's not going to get resolved overnight. It's not going to get done by the end of the 2020 season. I believe the NFL's best days are ahead of it, by a long shot, and it's my job to try and help make that vision become true and I believe it will."

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