It has been nothing short of a troubling time in the country with the ongoing social issues. That has led to the sports world becoming quite vocal and involved in helping create change. Many NFL players have been in the forefront of demanding significant change. Houston Texans star defensive end JJ Watt has been among those most prominent as he just put massive pressure on the NFL to put forth more action.

NFL players demand social change

The continued social issues that the Black community faces daily in the country has grown increasingly hard to ignore.

These problems have only become more prominent over the last several months. It has featured many disappointing situations involving law enforcement that have led to wrongful deaths or severe injuries. The latest saw Jacob Blake become paralyzed from the waist down after being shot seven times in the back.

These situations have led many athletes and organizations in the sports world to utilize their elevated platforms. Many NFL players have used their social media presence and their respective teams to voice the need for significant societal change.

It’s been an effort that has seen JJ Watt walk in lockstep with his peers in demanding change while pushing the NFL into more action.

JJ Watt sends a strong social justice message

Throughout the last few months, many prominent NFL players have been quite vocal about the need for social change.

Texans star defensive end JJ Watt has been among those pushing for those efforts to garner much-needed progress. Watt once again aired that sentiment during his press conference on Monday, stating that it will take much more than any message on a field or helmet to create change.

“The conversations that we’ve had and seeing and understanding and trying to feel what that must feel like without knowing that I’ll ever be able to feel what that feels like, I think that part has been strong and powerful. I think there’s obviously an extremely long way to go. I don’t think it’s anything that’s going to be solved immediately or in a day or in two days or in a week or by a message written on a field or a helmet or whatever it is.”

Watt continued: ” I think what we have to do is continue to try. Continue to try and make that progress and continue to try and have those conversations even when they’re uncomfortable because that’s the only way that you’re going to grow, is to know there is something that you need to learn and help change and to try and do that.”

Watt’s words hold much weight in the league as he has been one of the most prominent players in the last several seasons. Despite not going through what many of his teammates have experienced, he has tremendous support for his peers to generate change through the NFL’s massive platform.

It further puts the onus on the league to enact more efforts toward creating progress with social justice.

NFL will put forth more action

The last few months have seen the NFL put forth some progressive steps toward helping create social change.

It came after several star players put together a video asking the league to recognize the Black Lives Matter efforts. Commissioner Roger Goodell responded with a strong supportive message while the NFL committed to $250 million over the next 10 years to help end systemic racism.

The league is also putting messages on each team’s field for the 2020 season, while the players can put meaningful phrases on the back of their helmets. However, it will take much more than that from the NFL as they have tremendous influence in other areas.

They play the most popular sport in the United States, along with the 32 team ownership groups holding massive influence in other industries. There is great potential for them to increase those efforts that could potentially create tremendous social change. It’s a collective effort that is needed, and the NFL must back their players.