Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins deserves praise for wearing a shirt calling for justice for Tamir Rice, and the organization deserves praise for standing by their player.
While rich, professional athletes are in a very precarious place. On one hand, they are praised for their ability to perform in game and do things athletically that millions of people can’t. Plus, they are very well compensated for doing so. On the other hand, these athletes are usually put in a position in which one wrong word or action can cause them to lose all of that fame and money. Some athletes make mistakes that cause them to fall out of favor. Then there are those like Andrew Hawkins, a player that should be thoroughly praised for his recent actions.
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On Sunday, Hawkins took a step that will probably define his season more than any of the 276 yards he’s earned during play. He walked onto the field in Kansas City wearing a shirt that called for justice for Tamir Rice. Who is Tamir Rice? Rice is yet another name added to the list of African Americans that have been killed by police officers throughout the United States.
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What makes this story even more disturbing is that Rice was only 12 years old when he was killed in November of 2014 while playing in a local park with a toy gun. The controversy surrounding the lack of investigation, cover up and the absence of indictment for any of the officers named in the situation continues the monologue that has boiled in communities for much of the last few years.
In a world in which sponsorships, endorsements and earning potential are the main concerns for majority of athletes; Hawkins has taken a step that could jeopardize his career. Still, taking that step in the face of potential consequences deserves recognition and praise; which may have come to the wide receiver, but few will come publicly for the media to cover.
Instead, Hawkins is being hit with demands to apologize. Cleveland Patrolmen’s Association President, Jeffery Follmer blasted Hawkins in a statement in which he calls for the player and team to apologize.
“It’s pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law,” Follmer said in a New York Times piece by Jason Molinet. “They should stick to what they know best on the field. The Cleveland Police protect and serve the Browns stadium and the Browns organization owes us an apology.”
Thankfully, the team has backed their player and his stance. Their response stands by their player while affirming support for the dangerous job that police officers must do.
“We have great respect for the Cleveland Police Department and the work that they do to protect and serve our city,” the Browns said in statement on Cleveland.com. “We also respect our players’ rights to project their support and bring awareness to issues that are important to them if done so in a responsible manner.”
Hawkins response on Monday was both poignant and “should” soundly quell Follmer or any that are standing against the player.
“To clarify, I utterly respect and appreciate every police officer that protects and serves all of us with honesty, integrity and the right way,” Hawkins said as reported by Chris Greenberg of the Huffington Post. “And I don’t think those kind of officers should be offended by what I did. My mom taught me my entire life to respect law enforcement. I have family, close friends who are incredible police officers and I tell them all the time how they are much braver than me for it. So my wearing a T-shirt wasn’t a stance against every police officer or every police department. My wearing the T-shirt was a stance against wrong individuals doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons to innocent people.”
Media coverage from this point will dictate just how much of a talking point this situation really is. However, in reality, the response to Hawkins speaks to a larger problem that continues to occur within professional sports.
“Shut up and play,” is a phrase that frequently follows any time an athlete speaks on a serious situation occurring within their community. It was spat back at NBA players for wearing the “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts to show support of Eric Garner. Richard Sherman faced similar responses for speaking about #BlackLivesMatter. The trend pops up any time an athlete takes a stand against a situation that draws a controversial line; especially one that supports those within the racial and social minority in the United States.
The Cleveland Browns also deserve praise for standing behind their player. The racial commentary growing in this country is a divisive topic for reasons well outside this piece, however seeing a professional sports organization with so much money on the line standing behind a player taking a “controversial” stance speaks volumes. They could have easily folded the way some teams and leagues have in the past. They could have tried to force Hawkins to apologize or apologize for him. Instead, they took a stance behind a player at a time in which it was needed most.
Elizabeth King of NTRSCTN, an outlet of Complex Media, reported that activists are asking for sports star LeBron James to boycott games in support of Tamir Rice. An interesting gesture, but one that will not happen because James knows how much of a detriment this would be to his career and stature in sports. However, James has still spoken about the situation, as reported by ESPN, but not in the same way as Hawkins has done.
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This is why Hawkins deserves praise for his stance; even if he isn’t a star player. He made a risky move and stood by it in a way that more athletes need to do when controversy and wrong doing prevail in the communities in which they play.