The Carolina Panthers playing football is not important right now

It is clear that football is secondary compared to the feeling within the Carolina Panthers surrounding the current social injustice fight across the country.

The Carolina Panthers canceled their team practice that was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon. This is far from ideal given we are two weeks away from the 2020 season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. But football is taking a rightful backseat compared to other things going on across the country.

The shocking incident involving Jacob Blake has been at the forefront of everybody’s minds in recent days. This police brutality is something that is shaking the nation down to its very core and the Carolina Panthers want to do all they can to promote change. They are in a privileged position regarding their platform and it is something that the organization is keen to use for good.

This is a situation that is not going away until real change happens. The NBA has led the way by boycotting games this week. And although they got back to playoff action, their stand has set a precedent that we could see follow on into the NFL campaign in the coming weeks.

The Panthers are not the only team to cancel practice in recent days. Players and coaching staff alike are growing weary at the current plight of social injustice. They are looking to make their own displeasure known in whatever way they can and keeping themselves off the field seems like their only realistic option, even if it is just for one day.

The time for talk is over for the Carolina Panthers.

New head coach Matt Rhule has been highly supportive of those members of the roster who are either being affected emotionally by all this or want to take their own stand. This is a sentiment that has been echoed by owner David Tepper, which represents a complete culture shift for the organization than in years gone by.

It is hard to envisage this sort of statement being approved by previous team owner Jerry Richardson. His tarnished legacy has been well documented. But the new regime has changed perceptions quickly and given their roster a chance to express themselves without fear of repercussions.

The sports world will continue to go around, of that there is little doubt. There is a momentum shift building in the US that the Panthers are now fully part of. And this was further highlighted by their decision to take themselves off the field and miss a vital practice for their 2020 season preparations.

This is something that is having a considerable effect and current roster members and everyone throughout the country. Playing football is of secondary importance to them at the moment, and with good reason.

Whether this is going to have an adverse impact on their chances of making preseason predictions look a little silly remains to be seen. But nobody can deny they are not making the most out of the platform given to them.

NFL officials will be looking on nervously. They have invested a significant amount of financial resources to put the necessary measures in place to get the campaign started on time. The last thing they would want is a possible strike or holdout to jeopardize this.

It is a situation to monitor closely. But the time for talk regarding an immediate change, equality, and social justice is clearly at an end.