Doug Baldwin Releases Statement on NFL Partnership on Social Change

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin released a statement in favor of the agreement between the NFL and the Players Coalition to provide financial resources for key causes in African-American communities.

On Saturday, Josina Anderson‏ of ESPN provided Baldwin's take on the deal, which he called a "step in the right direction":

San Francisco 49ers defensive back Eric Reid, who recently withdrew his name from the Players Coalition, questioned the merits of the partnership Thursday based on a conversation with Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, one of the group's leaders.

"In the discussion that we had, Malcolm conveyed to us—based on discussions that he had with the NFL—that the money would come from funds that are already allocated to breast cancer awareness and Salute to Service," Reid told Jeremy Stahl of Slate. "So it would really be no skin off the owners' backs: They would just move the money from those programs to this one."

He went on to call the deal a "charade."

The NFL attempted to quell those concerns by sending out a memo to teams, stating the three main goals of the agreement, which include dedicated financial resources to the cause. The league stressed that would feature "two new grants" for developing social justice programs, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Other focal points mentioned were to "amplify inspiring stories" of players' work in their local communities and access to government funds to assist their efforts.

The memo didn't make direct reference to ending protests during the national anthem, though Jim Trotter and Jason Reid of ESPN.com noted the league hoped "this effort will effectively end the peaceful-yet-controversial movement."