Fred Warner: Black Lives Matter Conversation Should Continue When NFL Resumes
Jun 16, 2020, 5:18 PM | Updated: 5:18 pm
San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) after an NFL preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs on August 24, 2019 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former BYU football star and current San Francisco 49ers standout linebacker Fred Warner doesn’t want the Black Lives Matter conversation to stop when the NFL players and teams return to work.
One of the best linebackers in the NFL, Warner is making sure to use his platform as a rising star in the league to help bring equality for all. Warner joined the NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, CNN’s April D. Ryan, and NFL Network reporter MJ Acosta for a roundtable discussing personal responsibilities to make communities better.
“I think the key is to try and find a solution where we can keep the conversation going,” Warner said. “Whatever that means or however we do that, using our platform is very important at this time because we have a voice that a lot of people don’t have to be able to reach a lot of different minds.”
MJ Acosta noted in the conversation that she’s heard from her followers that they can’t wait till football starts so the Black Lives Matter conversation stops. Warner and other NFL players don’t want the conversation to slow down.
Fred Warner: “Change needs to start inward”
“At the end of the day, the change needs to start inward. I look at myself, ‘how can I be a better person out in the community and in a society where I can treat others with the same love and compassion as I do with my own family?’
“I think you have to look inward you’ve got to speak to your children. The youth are extremely powerful in this at creating real progress. Obviously we have a long way to go from where we need to be as a country. In terms of what we’re going to do as a team, I’m sure we’ll come up with something. I think that’s league-wide with how we’ll continue to make this relevant and keep the conversation going to make real change.”
49ers training camp is expected to begin in late July with preseason games in 2020 starting on August 15th.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
