Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio made some controversial comments regarding racism in the NFL, and he's already receiving backlash. Per ESPN, Fangio addressed the ongoing protests over the murder of George Floyd by police, stating that there's societal problems when it comes to race but the NFL doesn't have the same issues.
"I think our problems in the NFL along those lines are minimal," said Fangio after he suggested there hasn't been a "tremendous change" as far as player activism goes. "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 live in a great atmosphere. Like I alluded to earlier, we're lucky. 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."
Fangio made these comments just after he revealed he had encouraged players to protest, particularly praising Broncos safety Justin Simmons for his efforts. Fangio said he was "shocked, sad and angry" when he saw the video of Floyd's death, and that he believes the officers involved should be charged. "It's a societal issue that we all have to join in to correct," he added. His comments that followed, regarding racism in the NFL, landed a bit differently than his comments about Floyd.
"HE NEEDS TO BE DRUG TESTED!!! What does he think that was against @Kaepernick?" tweeted former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens.
"This man a joke," added Seattle Seahawks' Chris Carson.
"Is he blind??" asked Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs.
See what Twitter had to say about Fangio's comments below.
