Update: On Wednesday afternoon, Fangio issued an apology for his remarks.
“After reflecting on my comments yesterday and listening to the players this morning, I realize what I said regarding racism and discrimination in the NFL was wrong,” he wrote. “While I have never personally experienced those terrible things first-hand during my 33 years in the NFL, I understand that many players, coaches and staff have different perspectives. I should have been more clear and I am sorry.”
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While the sports world has joined in a national dialogue about race and police bruatlity over the past several days, Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio told reporters Tuesday he doesn’t believe racism is much of a problem in the NFL.
“I think our problems in the NFL along those lines are minimal,” said Fangio, who is white. “We’re a league of meritocracy. You earn what you get, you get what you earn. I don’t see racism at all in the NFL, I don’t see discrimination in the NFL. We all live together, joined as one, for one common goal, and we all intermingle and mix tremendously.
“If society reflected an NFL team, we’d all be great,” he added.
Fangio said he was “shocked, sad and angry” about the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody when an officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
“He [former officer Derek Chauvin] should be punished to the full extent of the law of the crimes he was charged with in addition to being charged with treason for failing to uphold the badge and uniform he was entrusted with,” Fangio said. “It’s a societal issue that we all have to join in to correct.”
Despite that, Fangio received some backlash for opining that racism was not present in the NFL.
“This man a joke…” Seahawks running back Chris Carson wrote on Twitter.
This man a joke … https://t.co/RMkJhMp1QI
— Chris Carson (@ccarson_32) June 3, 2020
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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