'The world can't go on:' Detroit Lions skip practice after discussing shooting of Jacob Blake
ALLEN PARK, Mich. - The Detroit Lions decided not to practice on Tuesday, protesting after a Black man was shot by police in Wisconsin.
“We came up with this one as a unit,” Detroit defensive end Trey Flowers said.
Lions coach Matt Patricia opened the team's morning meeting by allowing players to share their thoughts on the shooting of Jacob Blake, who is paralyzed from the waist down. Blake was shot Sunday, three months after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The players contiued to discuss Blake's shooting and shared their personal experiences regarding race in the locker room.
Lions players and Patricia later filed out of the team's practice facility, pushing a dry-erase board on wheels along the sidewalk to address the media. The words: “The world can't go on,” was written in blue on one side of the dry-erase board and “We won't be silent!! One pride,” was in black on the other side of the white board.
Patricia said he is proud of the players and hopes they inspire other people and teams in the NFL to take a stand for social justice.
“I challenge everybody to do this, everybody in the league to do this,” Patricia said.
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