Texans anti-racist message at season opener: 'It takes all of us'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Chiefs and Texans opened the NFL season with a Thursday night matchup at Arrowhead Stadium, but players kept social justice top of mind.

As players arrived in Kansas City, many were seen wearing T-shirts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. This comes a week after the Texans called for change in support of the movement in a video posted to Twitter.

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In the video, players talk about the cases of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake and police reform.

"No one should feel like the color of their skin increases the chances that the people who have been put in place to protect them may be the very ones who end up killing them," said wide receiver Kenny Stills in the video, who was arrested in July during a protest for Taylor.

Meanwhile, NFL end zones were inscribed with two slogans: "It Takes All Of Us" on one side, "End Racism" on the other. As part of its social justice awareness initiatives, the NFL also allowed similar visuals on helmets and caps.



"I believe it's going to take all of us coming together, in order for real change to happen," said Texans running back David Johnson. "It's going to take everyone (first) listening, (second) understanding, and (most of all) being intentional in their fight for social justice."







Safety Justin Reid posted a photo of himself on Twitter wearing a black T-shirt with the words "Am I Next?" with the caption "The shirt speaks for itself."





Safety Michael Thomas designed custom T-shirts with the words "Injustice against one of us is injustice against all of us." They were sent to every player league-wide.



SEE ALSO: NFL condemns racism, apologizes for not listening to players' earlier protests about racial injustice

The Texans are not the first home team to open up about the movement. The Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics recently jointly walked off the field following a moment of silence, draping a Black Lives Matter T-shirt across the home plate as they chose not to play on Friday night.

SEE ALSO: Astros skip play, joining list of teams supporting Black Lives Matter movement