NFL mentor leads program to help players leverage platforms

Lamonte Winston had difficult conversations with players who wanted to follow Colin Kaepernick’s lead — and were afraid to lose their jobs if they protested against racial injustice.

He’s committed to helping athletes take the next steps to effectuate change.

Wilson, who previously worked in player development and scouting with the Raiders and Chiefs, has joined the nonprofit organization Dedication To Community as national director of its sports division to lead efforts to grow relationships between teams, athletes and communities.

“Now the information’s out there,” Winston said about Kaepernick and other athletes raising awareness on racism, police violence and social injustice. “How are you going to best learn if you want to be a voice for your community and really leverage your platform? What are you willing to learn beyond the event and the emotion, because whatever comes out of your mouth has to be enough that’s it’s going to educate those that are following you, and during the season is a good time.”

And during the preseason, particularly this week as players individually and en masse use their forums for that purpose.

Winston said D2C has programs in place that will help athletes “fashion and shape their conversations.” The organization conducts training that focuses on addressing the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

“What these athletes are doing is bringing great attention to these issues,” said M. Quentin Williams, the founder of D2C and a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor who has held executive positions in the NFL and NBA. “The next step is what are the solutions now that we have an assessment of what the issues are? How are we going to get better?

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source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/NFL-mentor-leads-program-to-help-players-leverage-15519016.php