Vic Fangio sees racism as a problem in society as a whole, but not as much in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos head coach, talking on Tuesday on a videoconferencing call, spoke out in favor of societal changes in the wake of George Floyd’s death. He then went on to defend the NFL’s record on race.
Asked about the evolution of player activism during his NFL career, Fangio said: “I don’t know that it’s changed a whole lot, to be honest with you. I haven’t seen a great, great change other than — I just don’t think there’s been a tremendous change and I don’t say that to be negative. I think our problems in the NFL along those lines are minimal. We’re a league of meritocracy. You earn what you get, you get what you earn.”
“I don’t see racism at all in the NFL,” Fangio said. “I don’t see discrimination in the NFL. We live in a great atmosphere. Like I alluded to earlier, we’re lucky. We all live together joined as one for one common goal, and we all intermingle and mix tremendously. If society reflected an NFL team, we’d all be great.”
Fangio had said earlier on the call that he “was shocked, sad and angry when I saw what the policeman [did] to a handcuffed George Floyd on his stomach that led to his death... It’s a societal issue that we all have to join in to correct.”
“The Minnesota cop failed the 99 percent of the police that do a great job and we are all paying a price for that,” he said. “I’ve listened to many people talk the past few days. The one that resonated with me the most was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also recognized that 98 to 99 percent of the police do a tremendous job in tough situations and we must do all we can to correct the small percentage that don’t do a great job on a daily basis. Kareem was one person talking sensibly and with solutions. This is not a political issue.”
Multiple media reports have said that nearly 70 percent of NFL players last season were African American.
The NFL last month announced changes to the “Rooney rule,” which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and top front office positions, adding to the number of applicants who must be considered.
The league tabled a proposal to offer draft pick incentives for teams that hire minority head coaches or general managers.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping