Boldin, Quin Among Players Headed To Capitol Hill To Discuss Important Racial Issues
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
The Lions' Anquan Boldin and Glover Quin are among five players who traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to discuss police brutality and race relations with members of Congress, according to ESPN.com.
It was Boldin who came up with the idea and subsequently assembled the group. He and Quin will be joined by Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles and Josh McCown and Andrew Hawkins of the Cleveland Browns.
Per ESPN's Jim Trotter, Boldin chose the aforementioned players because they are "all guys who are well-respected in the league and who have the same goal as myself."
Boldin has done extensive community work during his 14-year career.
He told Trotter there's a "huge mistrust" between the police and the African-American community.
"I want to help close that gap," he said.
The five players will meet with Reps. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla.; Keith Ellison, D-Minn.; and Daniel Webster, R-Fla., as well as members of the Congressional Black Caucus. It is also possible they will sit down with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
According to ESPN, "The meetings were organized by Andrew Blejwas, an associate director of marketing for The Nature Conservancy who also advises players like Boldin on how they can have more influence off the field."
The group is comprised exclusively of black players, with the exception of McCown. He told ESPN he intends to absorb as much as he can.
"I don't believe we, as white people, can understand what African-Americans go through on a daily basis, because it's different," McCown said. "For me, first and foremost, I want to be able to acknowledge that, and say that our stories are different and our histories are different, but let's just try to be a part of making it better moving forward."
