Odell Beckham Jr. (Photo by: 2019 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
Odell Beckham Jr. won’t sit on the sidelines in the fight for racial equality.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was back in the headlines over the weekend when he was spotted working out with Cam Newton, who remains unsigned in free agency despite being a former NFC champ and league MVP. Football is far from the only thing on his mind, however, as the recent wave of protests across America and the world in opposition to systemic racism and police brutality has brought the best out of him.
Beckham Jr. is selling t-shirts on a purpose-built website called EndThisTogether.com in order to raise money to support the Black Lives Matter movement. The black t-shirts read “I Still Can’t Breathe” on the front, with “No Justice, No Peace” emblazoned on the back.
Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is selling black t-shirts to generate funds to fight racial injustice and police brutality
“Like many other people around the world, I was heartbroken and extremely disturbed when I saw the video of George Floyd being murdered by police officers,” Beckham Jr. wrote on the website. “In an effort to do something to help the cause of ending police brutality, I wanted to help promote a T-shirt that sends a message that we demand justice for George Floyd and an end to police brutality. 100 percent of all profits from this shirt will be donated to the Black Lives Matter organization. I support nonviolent protests and demands for justice.”
Beckham Jr. was notably among a group of NFL stars who joined together in a special video message to demand action by the league and its owners to fight longstanding injustice and formally endorse a player’s right to protest peacefully before games, including the right to kneel during the playing of the national anthem.
The ongoing unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police has clearly awakened a sense of purpose in Beckham Jr. The sincere hope is that this latest effort can help catalyze the kind of societal change that’s been delayed and obstructed for so long, as well as to push other players to find their own voices.