lebron calls out the ‘slave mentality’ in the nfl

Are y’all watching The Shop because Lebron James is dropping barbershop sermons.

James recently weighed in on the treatment received by former San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick since the kneel that started a movement over two years ago. James spoke specifically about the NFL owners’ “slave mentality” which lead to Kaepernick being blacklisted for using his platform because the old white billionaires would rather racism stay in the league while players who don’t toe the line are shown the door.

“In the NFL, they got a bunch of old white men owning teams, and they got that slave mentality,” James said. “And it’s like, ‘This is my team. You do what the (expletive) I tell y’all to do. Or we get rid of y’all.’

Where are the lies? The only reason Kaepernick isn’t signed is because NFL owners want to make an example of him and it seems to be working considering the fact that protests haven’t become a larger movement within the NFL.

Eric Reid, Kaepernick’s former teammate, was the first player to join the athlete-turned-activist movement in protest and continues to do the work within the NFL, regardless of intimidation. Reid was just subjected to his seventh “random” drug test in 11 weeks since the season started because the NFL simply does not care about even concealing its aversion to addressing racial injustice.

Comparatively, James spoke about how lucky he felt to be able to work within the NBA, with a commissioner like Adam Silver who fosters an open and honest policy. “I’m so appreciative in our league of our commissioner,” the Laker added. “He doesn’t mind us having … a real feeling and be able to express that. It doesn’t even matter if Adam agrees with what we are saying, he at least wants to hear us out. And as long as we are doing it in a very educational, non-violent way, then he’s absolutely OK with it.”

These kinds of conversations are crucial simply because NFL players keep the machine going and they are not treated with nearly enough consideration from those in charge. According to James, “the players are who make the ship go. We make it go,” he said. “Every Sunday, without Todd Gurley and without Odell Beckham Jr., without those players, those guys, there is no football. And it’s the same in the NBA.”

These are the facts and James is absolutely on the money. NFL players endure personal injury to make this sport possible and owners have shown them time and again that they are expendable. Add the fact that they can’t even use the platforms they worked for to call out racial injustice? Phew chile…