How rich is this? The NFL just got fleeced for $89 million by a group of social justice warriors who want to use that money for prison reform and education reform.
The Undefeated's Jason Reid reports that on Monday the league ratified its budget for the social justice initiative reward to players who, for two seasons, waged outrageous protests during the national anthem:
"At the league meetings here (Orlando), owners unanimously approved the local matching funds portion of their landmark seven-year, $89 million proposal to bankroll causes considered important to African-American communities.
"Money at both the national and local levels will provide grants for nonprofit organizations focused on law enforcement and community relations, criminal justice reform and education reform. A working group of five players, five owners (or owners’ representatives) and two NFL staff members will help identify future initiatives to pursue."
Gluttons for punishment, the owners did nothing to solve the protest problem that sacked their attendance and TV viewership and threw their approval ratings for a huge loss.
The campaign is officially known as "Let's Listen Together." It includes digital content and messages highlighting the player-led work on social and racial equality. Players will write letters and use social media to explain why social justice is a priority for them. Though it's unconfirmed if it has been accepted or not, an opinion piece in the Miami Herald recommended that each team in the league select two "social justice captains." SJW captains could certainly help teams coordinate their disrespectful pregame protests.
As a side note to the player demands for criminal justice, the San Francisco 49ers' team recently visited San Quentin prison to engage in discussions about prison reform and social justice issues. It's unknown if all the players were allowed to leave.
Now about that education reform: In 2014 CNN, no less, conducted an investigation of public universities across the country and found that many football players "could read only up to an eighth-grade level. The data obtained through open records requests also showed a staggering achievement gap between college athletes and their peers at the same institution."
Also, a graduate student at UNC-Greensboro, Mary Willingham, researched the reading levels of 183 UNC-Chapel Hill athletes who played football or basketball from 2004 to 2012. She reported that 60 percent of those athletes were reading at levels between fourth- and eighth-grade. Almost 10 percent were reading below third-grade level.
And to think college football is the feeder program for pro football, which doesn't bode well. The Department of Education should get a restraining order against NFL players going anywhere near the schools and colleges.