The Washington Wizards may be planning a unified demonstration in the spirit of the protests that have spread across the NFL over the past month. Wizards All-Star John Wall opened up on the matter during the team's Media Day festivities this week, saying that the conversation is one that has arisen in the locker room. While he expressed being open to taking a stand, he admitted that it would not be something he'd take on apart from the larger group.
“We’re just sitting back and we’re going to have a talk as a whole team, as a group, and figure out what we want to do,” Wall told WPGC's Steph Lova after sharing that the team planned to soon shoot across town for a visit to the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture together. He went as far as confirming that the team had scheduled a dinner over which they planned to discuss a potential demonstration. “You don’t want to just leave one individual out there by himself, I think it should be a team thing, and whatever we decide, I hope it’s a great cause and we represent what we’re supposed to represent,” he said.
Players, coaches, and owners across the league have been largely supportive of athletes exercising their right to free speech during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner, but the response to question of whether they'd partake in the movement, have varied. Most recently, LeBron James came forward to acknowledge Colin Kaepernick for raising awareness on police brutality, but he rejected the notion that he'd select to abstain from observing the anthem in it's conventional manner. James' position falls in line with that expressed by teammate Iman Shumpert and rival Steph Curry, but differs from that given by Russell Westbrook and Nick Young, who haven't ruled out taking a knee.
The Wizards open their preseason on October 4. Fans will be tuning in to see whether the NFL protest movement crosses over to be carried forth by the team in any manner. Wall and the gang will enjoy three weeks of preparation before they enter the regular season on October 27.
Source: washington.cbslocal.com
