If a Phillie speaks out or protests this season, Joe Girardi will have his back
Joe Girardi would not be surprised if some of the protests and public statements we’ve seen in society in recent weeks happen on the baseball field when the season gets going in two weeks.
“I think that we’ll probably see some things,” the Phillies manager said Thursday.
Whether it’s taking a knee during the National Anthem or voicing an opinion about social injustice, Girardi will back his players.
“You know, people have a lot of different feelings, and it’s important as teammates and as organizations that we understand that players have a lot of different feelings and all of this affects them in different ways, and that we’re understanding and that we try to understand other people’s points of view,” Girardi said. “So, I believe there probably will be some things that happen during the course of the season and I support my players wholeheartedly.”
Up the road in the Bronx, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone talked about the same subject in a zoom call with reporters on Thursday.
“If they want their voice to be heard on whatever the subject may be, we’re going to always encourage them to speak their minds and their heart,” Boone said.
Last month, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, a group of major leaguers founded The Players Alliance. More than 125 current and former players have joined the group whose mission is “to build an inclusive culture and equitable systems in order to change the trajectory of diversity throughout baseball.”
Phillies left fielder Andrew McCutchen serves on the group’s active player advisory board, and Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard serve on the former player advisory board.
Another Phillie, Josh Harrison, is on the major league player committee, while Roman Quinn and recent Phillies draft pick Baron Radcliff are on the minor league player committee.
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