Ravens' Judon: Goodell should have supported Black Lives Matter sooner

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Matthew Judon believes NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's public support for the Black Lives Matter cause came far too late.

"It's not when Roger Goodell said 'black lives matter' that now everybody can say it," Judon said, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "I think we should have been questioning why Roger Goodell didn't say 'black lives matter' when he was born, or when he became commissioner, or when he was reelected commissioner. ... It's not cool that Roger Goodell said it. He should've been saying it."

Goodell apologized June 5 on behalf of the league for not openly discussing racial injustice sooner after players such as Patrick Mahomes and Michael Thomas called on the NFL to acknowledge its failures.

"We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people," Goodell said. "We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter."

Though Judon is happy to see progress, he doesn't believe Goodell deserves credit for deciding only now to support the movement.

"I'm with all the protests that we have to do and all the progress that we have to make," Judon said. "I'm with (all) of that, but it's not because Roger Goodell said, 'black lives matter.'"

Goodell has been widely criticized for his handling of protests during the national anthem, which were started by Colin Kaepernick in 2016.

The league even attempted to create a rule that would compel players to stay in the locker room during the anthem if they wanted to demonstrate, only to backtrack from the proposal following widespread backlash.

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