When I visit Ravens Nests and Ravens Roosts it’s apparent that many fans are STILL upset about the 10 or so Ravens who took a knee in London in 2017. Many want the Ravens and/or Steve Bisciotti to apologize. Well, that’s not going to happen.
Besides, what would he be apologizing for?
[Listen to the rest here or continue reading below.]
Some might ask, “what can an apology hurt?” But I really don’t think that the Ravens players were making a statement about the flag or their patriotism. An apology may appease some fans, it might upset others, and it could trigger ill-will in the Ravens locker room.
I don’t walk in the shoes of an African-American nor do many of you listening. It’s difficult for me to see things through their eyes, to truly feel what they feel when it comes to oppression.
The real culprit here is the league – and still is. They did an abysmal job of handling this. Instead of seeking amicable solutions, the empty suit named Roger Goodell decided to ignore the protests and hoped they might go away on their own, like the fan fury over the reinstatement of Michael Vick back in 2009. But it didn’t.
And as if to prove just how out of touch Goodell is and to essentially throw gas on the fire, the league has implemented rules and penalties for sideline protests. Now some networks are thinking about not showing the National Anthem. THAT’S the solution?
But back to Ravens fans…
Other teams’ fans have moved on. Why not those in Baltimore?
For one, Baltimore’s team isn’t winning. That can be fixed. Secondly, they were one of two teams to protest first AND on foreign soil. That can’t be undone. The other team that day in London, the Jaguars, kicked the Ravens ass and they have performed well since. That’s helped their fans get over it.
I’m sure if given another chance to handle that day differently, Steve Bisciotti would have been more proactive. He may have suspected something could happen on the heels of President Trump’s verbal gauntlet to the players, but didn’t wrap his mind around it in time. It was difficult to predict the enormous impact of the protests. The fact that the Ravens haven’t done it since London suggests that they now have it under control. But no one gives them credit for that.
It’s a tough situation that will heal with time, particularly if the Ravens win and they continue pouring their time and money into the community.
Can we at least give them credit for that?
