NEWSLETTER
Unable to sleep after watching “Mean Girls” for the 583rd time (unofficially), I found myself enthralled watching Game 4 of the 1995 World Series between Cleveland and Atlanta. Between young stars such as Manny Ramirez, David Justice, Kenny Lofton, and Chipper Jones (among others), a strike zone that spanned from one end of Lake Erie to the other, Al Michaels on the call of an epic Ryan Klesko bat-flip, and the totally 90s bullpen duo of Brad Clontz and Pedro Borbon, how could I turn away?
• At the top of Brett’s Bullets you’ll find tidbits about a collection of Chicago athletes (including some current and former Bears you might know, such as Mitchell Trubisky, Allen Robinson, Sam Acho) taking part in an important effort to make change for the better with the By the Hand club.
• And as Brett pointed out, By the Hand’s mission is: “You can play a life-changing role for the kids in Chicago’s under-resourced neighborhoods. When you help our kids become the solution, you help them rise above violence and poverty. You help them have new and abundant life.” It’s always encouraging to see this type of stuff locally.
• Sometimes, the most important jobs are held by those we don’t see in the limelight:
The glue that holds our team together.
LaMar "Soup" Campbell's role as director of player engagement has never been more crucial – and appreciated – than right now.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 5, 2020
• LaMar “Soup” Campbell is the Director of Player Engagement for the Bears. And on the latest episode of Bears All-Access with Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, and Jim Miller, Campbell serves up how he has been working with Bears players to maintain focus during trying times. (P.S. It’s also available in podcast form)
• All I could say was “Wow” when I watched Roger Goodell’s statement admitting the NFL was wrong for not listening to its players when they protested racial injustice. Hearing Goodell say the words “we were wrong” was something I never expected. My hope is that this isn’t just lip service, and instead, the start of making things right.
• We also have this, which provides background as to how the NFL made a very public shift:
The NFL’s public shift on racism and BLM has a wild, inspiring story behind it.
How a ‘rogue’ employee (@Bryndon) and @Cantguardmike – and many hurting players & NFL employees – forced Roger Goodell to say “Black Lives Matter”:https://t.co/43CmWDaYIn
— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) June 6, 2020
• There was a brief moment in which a rumor sparked and suggested the New York Jets were trying to pry Kyle Long out of retirement. That rumors legs weren’t long for this world:
Im on my lunch break so don’t @ me no weird shit #retiredlife pic.twitter.com/yHKJjEW2Ly
— Kyle (@Ky1eLong) June 5, 2020
• As I said in our post covering the matter, Long seems to be enjoying his post-NFL life. Recent social media shares have shown a slimmed-down and toned-up Long dunking a basketball and doing non-football things in his free time. And while I’m sure there might be a small part of Long that wants to play one more snap, it’s not happening. Nice try, Jets. If you want to call that a try.
• As for active Bears offensive linemen, there are two who caught the eyes of Pro Football Focus — which gives me hope that the group isn’t in as dire straits as we might think. They’ll have to prove it on the field, of course. But it’s not like there is nothing for new OL Coach Juan Castillo to work with in Year 1.
• One day after serving up an apology for not understanding what was behind kneeling protests, Saints quarterback Drew Brees responded to a tweet from President Donald Trump explaining that protests during the national anthem aren’t about disrespecting the flag:
Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been. We can no longer use the… https://t.co/zcw1NMZF2W
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) June 6, 2020
• It’s a sharp turn from where Brees stood before. Further, Brees’ message to the president could be viewed that his willingness to listen and learn was more than just for show. This could ultimately be a first step toward a larger understanding of what is facing society right now from someone who clearly did not grasp the moment.
• Michael Jordan has received a fair amount of backlash over the years for not being at the front lines of fighting for social causes. But his latest actions serve as a reminder that it’s never too late to get involved:
Michael Jordan Is Donating $100 Million Over Next 10 Years to Fight Racial Inequalityhttps://t.co/Rmb5izT0j1
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) June 5, 2020
• “It remains likely that there is a baseball season. But the likelihood that it is (1) more than 48 games, and (2) a happy, well-timed, celebratory affair continues to shrink to almost nothing. It’s almost impressive how badly MLB has botched this so far.” I’m soooooo mad at MLB right now.
MLB Has Blown Its Chance to Return in Celebratory Fashion by July 4 https://t.co/KiV94Zah7D pic.twitter.com/LGek0M2luk
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) June 6, 2020
• Bedding, soap, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon today. #ad
