CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers safety Tre Boston knew his team would have even more eyes on them than normal Sunday and he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.
“I felt today was our biggest platform as a city, this Sunday, after everything happened,” Boston said.
That "everything" Boston referred to following Sunday's game is the shooting death of Keith Scott, a 43-year-old Charlotte man, who was shot and killed by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer near his home Tuesday afternoon. On Saturday, CMPD released the dash cam and body cam footage from the incident after Chief Kerr Putney felt that the video would not compromise the SBI's investigation of the incident. In the days following the shooting, thousands of citizens have flooded the streets of uptown Charlotte in protest of Scott's death.
Boston hoped to organize some type of demonstration that Panthers players could do together to show their support for Scott's family and African-American citizens who are seeking justice for Scott. The players, coaches, and even General Manager Dave Gettleman all discussed options for what the team could do, but Boston said in the short time they had it didn’t all come together.
They weren’t looking for a quick fix, they were looking for a lasting, unified stand.
“We’re trying to do it the right way. We’re trying to do it fast," Boston explained. "But sometimes when you do it fast it can come out of control. So I think we want to do a good job of really coming together and figuring out how we want to do it."
For Boston, taking a stand on Sundays is about much more than making a simple, hollow gesture. It’s not about picking sides, it’s about finding a way to unite and include all parties.
“I think we’re going to find a way to do it so nobody can twist what we’re trying to do, no one can misinterpret the direction we want to go with our protest," said Boston. "We want to show something that is so powerful and so right, that it can’t be made wrong."
Two of Boston’s teammates took steps towards expressing themselves on Sunday. Defending NFL MVP Cam Newton wore a shirt during warmups with a Martin Luther King Jr. quote on the back. It read, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Cam Newton making a statement via shirt. pic.twitter.com/wIizTnaGAw
— Jeremy Igo (@CarolinaHuddle) September 25, 2016
Panthers safety Marcus Ball also made a statement. During the national anthem, he held one hand in the air and pointed at the sky. When reporters asked what his gesture stood for, Ball simply said, “One love.”
“I commend him for doing that because that’s something I wanted to do, that’s something a lot of us thought about doing,” Boston said.
Boston stood next to Ball during the national anthem and admitted watching his teammate send a message he hoped to also send, was not easy.
A photo posted by Marcus Ball (@moneyball36) on
When asked if it was difficult to stand by him, knowing he wanted to do something but felt the whole team wasn't ready, Boston paused for a moment, reflecting on his choice of words.
“Honestly, yes. With all honesty, I really wanted to do something today. I felt today was our biggest platform as a city, this Sunday after everything happened. But I don’t want to put our team — and I don’t think Marcus put our team in jeopardy," Boston said. "But I don’t want to be somebody to do that by myself and it come back on me or come back on the team if we didn’t do it together."
The former North Carolina Tar Heel says it's about sending an even bigger message, one that the Panthers will be proud to stand behind, no matter how long the city or the country is divided.
“We have to find a way to show them, not only will we play for you, but we want to be with you in these times. We recognize what’s going on,” Boston said.
Boston tweeted Sunday evening that if "people don't use their platforms for better, then we can't expect better."
Another thing I don't think people understand is, if people don't use their platforms for better, then we can't expect better. #Insanity
— Tre Boston (@TreBos10) September 26, 2016
