Lions cancel practice to protest Wisconsin police shooting

As an act of protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the Detroit Lions announced they were canceling practice to deliver a message condemning police brutality in the United States.

Safety Duron Harmon, defensive end Trey Flowers and offensive tackle Taylor Decker addressed media members on behalf of the Lions, explaining that the team decided that speaking out against injustice felt more important than football.

"As a team, we looked each other in the eyes and realized that football isn't important today," Harmon said. "We have a platform that we are able to use not just to raise awareness but to create change."

Blake, who is black, was shot seven times in front of his family by Kenosha police officers over the weekend. Police were responding to a domestic disturbance call when the shooting took place. Someone was able to film the shooting and posted it online, where it quickly went viral and gained national attention. Several prominent athletes, including LeBron James, have expressed their outrage about the shooting, saying it highlights the state of systemic racism and police brutality in the United States.

"We can't be silent," Flowers said. "We can't say silent. We cannot be going on in the world with our regular day. So today, unified we stand here and we came up with these words, these slogans, and we spread the message, spread the word."

Harmon said that the team was still focused on winning, but the players will do "everything we can to bring change as well."