CLEVELAND — For new Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, as important as teaching his players the X's and O's of his system, social justice is equally vital in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.
Stefanski said during a Wednesday Zoom call with reporters that his message to the team is simple: Get in the arena.
And like the man who coined that phrase, former president Theodore Roosevelt, Stefanski is all about action. "We want to be a strong part of the community," he told reporters. "We want to be a strong part of positive change."
Stefanski said the Browns are working to give the players the resources they need to be active agents of that positive change, including educating them on which charities they should donate to, what podcasts to listen to, and encouraging them to attend peaceful protests.
Last weekend, Stefanski and his sons attended a peaceful demonstration in Avon. "It was just a really enlightening moment for me and I was able to share that with my boys at a young age," he added.
In addition, Stefanski and a number of Browns players, including Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr. and JC Tretter, were among the 1400 names in professional sports to sign the Players' Coalition letter to Congress supporting passage of the Amash-Pressley bill. The legislation calls for the ending of qualified immunity for police officers and other government officials.
"It's important to attach your name," Stefanski said of his involvement in both the letter and in being at the protest.
You can watch Stefanski's press conference with the media on Zoom below.