Vikings LB Anthony Barr: Speaking up on social injustice 'the right thing to do'
Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons is sacked by defender Anthony Barr #55 of the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 8, 2019 in Minneapolis. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS - Anthony Barr is known on the field for terrorizing quarterbacks and making life difficult for opposing defenses. Off the field, he’s generally mild-mannered and soft spoken.
That all changed after the officer-involved death of George Floyd in south Minneapolis. The Memorial Day incident sparked demonstrations across the world, calling out racism and social injustice, and sparked civil unrest for days not far from where the Minnesota Vikings call home.
Barr couldn’t sit back and not speak up. On June 2, days after Floyd’s death, Barr was one of 18 players to call out the NFL for not taking action to stop systematic racism.
“What actual steps are you taking to support the fight for justice and system reform? Your statement said nothing. Your league is built on black athletes. Vague answers do nothing. Let the players know what you’re ACTUALLY doing,” Barr posted to Twitter.
One of his teammates, Eric Kendricks, posted the same. Both are part of the Vikings Social Justice Committee and have been since its inception in 2017.
“It only felt right to be a little more proactive than I have been,” Barr said Thursday at Training Camp.
He added it was time to push himself out of his comfort zone and use his platform as an NFL athlete.
“Honestly it was empowering. It definitely felt like the right thing to do and maybe it was a little uncomfortable, but that’s what the whole thing is about, right? Making yourself feel a little out of place and making yourself look in the mirror and question things that maybe you haven’t done personally in the past,” Barr said. “When it comes to causes of social justice, you’re not going to make everybody happy one way or the other. I’m going to stand on what I believe in, that doesn’t mean you have to agree with me. You can disagree, that’s OK, that’s your opinion and that’s what this is about, this is a discussion. We all need to have that tough look at ourselves, that’s what I got out of this.”
After Floyd’s death, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told his Black players he can’t relate to their emotions, but his door is always open for conversation. Whatever they need, he’ll be there to listen. Adam Zimmer, Mike’s son and a Co-defensive coordinator, couldn’t be more proud of how Barr used his platform.
“Anthony is a great person and everything he does is well thought out, and he sends a great message when he does speak out. I support him 100 percent with the way he’s handled things, the things that have gone on around the world today, I couldn’t be prouder the way he’s taking the approach to what he’s done, and he’s done a good job of being a leader for our team as well,” Adam said Thursday.
He’s not just using that platform to speak out on social injustice. He’s also looking to seek positive change. He was disappointed to learn most players didn’t vote on the latest collective bargaining agreement, and even moreso that many of his teammates probably aren’t registered to vote in the November elections.
The best way to seek change? Get out and vote.
“I can only imagine there’s a lot of guys that aren’t even registered to vote in their respective states. That was important, a kind of protocol in place this season for every team to get registered and register all the players,” Barr said.
Barr was also one of several players back in July to voice their frustration with the NFL on social media about the lack of a plan for a 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Protocols have since been put in place across the league, but it took much longer than players would’ve liked.
On the field, Barr is a four-time Pro Bowl selection, a streak that came to an end last season. In 14 starts, he finished with 79 tackles, six tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks and one interception.
He’s one of the leaders of a defense that has holes to fill with seven regular contributors from last season gone, and defensive tackle Michael Pierce opting out of the 2020 season. They have to get on the same page, with only training camp to work with. A virtual off-season, no mini camps, no OTAs and no preseason games. Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers is three weeks from Sunday.
“Those steps are shortened this year, so it’s going to be a huge emphasis for us to get those looks in practice and treat practice like a game situation as much as possible,” Barr said.