All NFL, NFLPA and club facilities will be closed on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to ensure that every member of the NFL family has an opportunity to exercise the right to vote, the league announced Thursday.
That was one of several decisions discussed when the NFL member clubs and the NFLPA executive committee met on Tuesday to prepare for the 2020 season. Both parties agreed that their focus must continue to be on action in support of their shared commitment to social justice and equality.
"This latest announcement was a series of steps that we, the NFLPA and the NFL, felt were appropriate to take in light of the George Floyd killing, and the fact that this is still going on and has to stop," Commissioner Roger Goodell explained on Good Morning Football. "We just believe that we can do more and have to do more. This is a call for all of us to do more."
Here are additional steps the league announced it will put into action this season, per the release:
- In the days leading up to the election, we will continue to sponsor non-partisan educational programs to ensure that our players, staff, and families know how to register, how to obtain absentee voting material, and are able to vote on Election Day.
- We will support efforts in our communities to encourage people to vote, including by working with state officials to establish polling places at our stadiums. We will also identify safe and appropriate ways in which members of the NFL family can assist in election efforts.
- We will devote the entirety of our one-hour program on NBC next Wednesday, Sept. 9, to providing a platform for our players and allies to discuss the work that we are doing together to advance social justice and equality. Additional details on this program to be announced at a later date.
- Clubs and ownership will facilitate meetings between with state and local elected officials and leaders of law enforcement, to discuss steps that can be taken to reduce conflict and improve relations between law enforcement and members of the community.
- The NFL and NFLPA will work together to support college education for the children of the victims who will be recognized by our players.
"I think those initiatives, we think, are real action. They're hopefully designed to make real change in those communities because that's what we're really out for," Goodell said. "We want to go beyond the protests and actually make a difference in our communities, stop these killings that are unnecessary and uncalled for and make sure we're in a position where we can get to the place where we have respect for one another, people are not walking around fearful and we can all feel like we're doing our part here."
