Bears cancel meeting to support 'Blackout Tuesday'

On Monday, Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey released a statement on the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man who died while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. McCaskey's statement also addressed the protests that followed Floyd's tragic and unnecessary passing:

"A week ago another unarmed African-American man died at the hands of a white police officer. We are witnessing the anger and frustration play out in protests across the nation, including Chicago.

"We must do more than wring our hands and hope it doesn't happen again. As an organization, we have addressed it internally by offering unconditional support to our family of staff, coaches and players, and today (general manager) Ryan Pace and Coach (Matt) Nagy spent the allotted two hours of team meeting time listening to and healing together with our players and the coaching staff.
"Through our voice, our actions and our resources, it is our obligation to lead. We will continue to work with our player-led social justice committee to provide funding and exposure to local organizations dedicated to empowering communities that have been oppressed for far too long. We're proud to support organizations like BUILD Chicago; I Grow Chicago; My Block, My Hood, My City; and Youth Guidance, among others, who are doing great work in these communities and we encourage fans to partner with us in supporting them. Our commitment is to continue to be an active participant in change."

The Bears also participated in the "Blackout Tuesday" social-media movement — and not just by tweeting a single black square to honor Floyd and other victims of police violence.