We live in an era when so many star professional athletes think brand first every single time they speak in public. Not many act like New England Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty, who has a social conscious, and isn’t afraid to convey it.
McCourty is one of a few Patriots who skipped The White House visit/meeting with Donald Trump and spoke out about it. The Rutgers alum said in a Time Magazine Interview:
“Basic reason for me is I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices, I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won’t.”
McCourty used the powerful platform he has earned as a Super Bowl champion to express his sociopolitical stances then and he did it again this week, working with FWD.us, who released five new videos featuring the Players Coalition.
This coalition is an independent organization comprised of professional athletes across leagues, calling on New York State to advance bold pretrial reforms in the next legislative session.
Produced in partnership with the Players Coalition, The Bronx Defenders, and the Legal Aid Society, these new videos star Players Coalition members Demario Davis, Malcolm Jenkins, Devin McCourty, and Carl Davis calling on lawmakers to end senseless pretrial jailing now.
Here’s the video from the Pats DB:
In the videos, players share testimonials of real New Yorkers impacted by the state’s broken pretrial system. Two-thirds of those jailed in New York jails have not been convicted of a crime. That means, everyday, 16,000 people all across the state are in jail while they await their trial; very often for months at a time.
Recent polling indicates that New York voters overwhelmingly support the most ambitious pretrial reforms under consideration in Albany. Voters across political party and geography want impactful pretrial reforms that keep the vast majority of people at home while they wait for their trials, dramatically shorten case processing times, and prevent defendants from taking plea deals before evidence is shared with them.
This isn’t the only time this week that we have seen the New England Patriots brand on the right side of the history in regards to serious social issues.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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