Patriots coach Bill Belichick was once again hailed for his leadership. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots sacrificing football for discussions on racism, current events

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 6/6/20

Following the death of George Floyd last week, the New England Patriots have reportedly put football on the back burner.

Coach Bill Belichick's squad has had open conversations about recent events and have sacrificed football in order to accomplish that amid the virtual offseason program, according to Mike Giardi of NFL Media.

Giardi reports that Belichick was in the conversations and one player even added they couldn't have done it without his leadership.

I'm told the #Patriots had open conversations about recent events, in fact sacrificing football for the more important topics that have impacted so many of it's players directly. Bill Belichick was a part & I was told by one player "we couldn't do this without his leadership."
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) June 5, 2020

NFL players currently aren't allowed at team facilities due to the coronavirus pandemic, and New England's virtual program will run through at least the middle of June.

The Patriots discussion comes after Floyd, an African-American man, died last week after he was violently apprehended by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the incident recorded on video by a witness.

The 46-year-old Floyd was pinned to the ground by Chauvin, who then proceeded to kneel on Floyd's neck, preventing Floyd from breathing. Floyd pleaded for his life and told Chauvin he couldn't breathe, but Chauvin refused to move, as the video showed.

Floyd was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Chauvin was arrested last Friday on charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. On June 3, Chauvin's charge was upgraded to second-degree murder, and three other now-former officers who were on the scene are also facing charges.

Other players around the NFL have contributed to discussions surrounding racial injustice and police brutality. Players such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Patrick Mahomes contributed to a video calling for the NFL to make a stronger statement on the issue, and white quarterbacks such as Carson Wentz have condemned racism through statements on social media.

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