Deion Sanders’ final game as Jackson State head coach took a back seat to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell coming to see his “BLACK” nephew play in the game. Goodell’s nephew is Charlton “Charlie” Goodell, and he’s a sophomore defensive lineman for the Tigers.
Charlie happens to be the adopted son of Goodell’s brother.
To the surprise of most, who couldn’t believe what they were witnessing, Goodell on the JSU sidelines proceeded to hug and chat with his nephew, Deion Sanders and others within the Jackson State football program.
Roger Goodell showed up to support his nephew Charlton Goodell at the Cricket Celebration Bowl 🙌 @GoJSUTigersFB pic.twitter.com/N87Aj4lRAa
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 17, 2022
When you see something like that, one’s immediate reaction could date back to how Goodell handled the Colin Kaepernick situation. Knowingly having a black nephew, who’s skin color could affect his life daily as it pertains to police brutality or anything else. Which is exactly why Kaepernick kneeled that fateful September 2016 day.
Goodell’s Nephew Helps To Open His Eyes To Racism
In August 2020, Goodell went on what some are calling a de facto apology-tour of sorts as it pertains to his handling of the Kaepernick situation.
Time and time again Goodell has stated he should’ve “listened earlier.” And that only came after he appeared on FS1/ personality Emmanuel Acho’s digital series, “Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man.”
During a video clip shown by Acho, the footage detailed black children, their fears and concerns over being targeted and killed in the United States.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man: The National Anthem Protest- PT. II
In Part II: Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, answers whether or not players should be punished for kneeling during the National Anthem. Watch & SHARE. Love y’all ❤️. pic.twitter.com/UAziPYE3D3
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) August 24, 2020
That conversation and one he apparently had with his nephew, opened his eyes to the daily struggles and stereotypes people of color face every single day in this country.
A visibly upset Goodell, told sports analyst Emanuel Acho this:
“Seeing somebody live in that kind of fear is just not right. We’ve got to fix that. We’ve got to make this world better, because it’s just not right.”
Goodell mentioned then, how he never really looked at his nephew as a prime target for violence and killing.
“I don’t look at him as a Black nephew, I look at him as my nephew. He’s named after my father, Charlie Goodell. It’s my youngest brother and he actually has adopted two other kids. I just look at him as my nephew.
“So I didn’t think about, does he have that fear when he’s walking out and does he really think that he’s in danger every time he walks outside of the building.”
Goodell not noticing any of these things when his nephew is Black, just shows how tone-deaf and out of touch he was. And that’s why he couldn’t see what Kaepernick’s message was trying to say. Goodell was blind to the fact and he shouldn’t have been.
Goodell Pushing For Majority Black Owner In NFL
It’s no secret that the NFL has never had a black majority owner, and when the Denver Broncos were for sale, Goodell pushed media mogul Byron Allen to bid on the franchise. Allen said in 2019 Goodell and Patriots owner Bob Kraft came to him about bidding on a team.
Maybe Goodell has turned over a new leaf, but him telling Allen to bid on an NFL team doesn’t change how he handled the Kaepernick situation.
