"Back in the summer of 2020, I wrote about Jackie Bradley Jr. and the Red Sox's response to protests across sports in reaction to the BLM movement, spurred by multiple instances of police brutality against Black people across the country. I never ended up publishing this article, but I needed to put my thoughts on the situation into words somewhere, whether it be public or not."
"As the only Black player on the Red Sox, he led the way for Boston to boycott an August game in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake. But this came about with no team meeting or discussion with teammates or ownership; instead the burden was placed upon Jackie to speak out on his own and be the only one courageous enough to decide not to play."
"And even after he made this decision, the Red Sox didn't even hold a team meeting to discuss the importance of this decision, what it meant, or even to provide his teammates a chance to listen to and understand him. Instead, he only talked to manager Ron Roenicke and backup catcher Kevin Plawecki, which eventually resulted in the Red Sox and Blue Jays jointly refusing to play that day."
Jackie Bradley Jr., as the Red Sox's only Black player, led Boston to boycott an August 2020 game after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The decision occurred without a team meeting or broader discussion with teammates or ownership; only manager Ron Roenicke and backup catcher Kevin Plawecki were involved. The Red Sox and Blue Jays jointly refused to play that day. Bradley Jr. received no visible support from his teammates and bore the burden of protest alone. Five years later, after being drafted first overall by the Indianapolis Clowns in a Banana Ball draft, he has finally found a supportive environment.
Read at Over the Monster
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