Anquan Boldin: 'I Can Tip My Hat' to Roger Goodell for Social Justice Support

Former NFL receiver Anquan Boldin said commissioner Roger Goodell deserves credit for trying to "put his self in our shoes" when it comes to issues of systemic racism and police brutality against black people.

"I can tip my hat to Roger because he's come along on several of those occasions," Boldin said on The Daily Show (7:00 mark). "He's come along with us when we've spoken to people in positions of power. He's come and tried to see, while we were doing court hearings, like what's the process. 

"I can give him kudos for trying to understand what exactly it is that we're talking about, trying to step outside of his self and put his self in our shoes and understand the issues that we're screaming about."

Goodell and the NFL have taken criticism on a number of social justice issues in the past, most notably the handling of national anthem protests. Several star players posted a video last week calling on Goodell to send a stronger message on discrimination and admit the league was wrong in attempting to quell peaceful protests.

Goodell posted a response Friday, admitting mistakes and saying "we encourage all players to speak out and peacefully protest." 

Boldin and New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins co-founded the Players Coalition, a group of NFL players who have pushed for racial progress at the federal and state levels, in 2017. The NFL partnered with The Players Coalition in November 2017, pledging $89 million over seven years to education, criminal justice reform and social justice projects.

Boldin said Goodell has attended meetings with the coalition and credited the league with helping "lend [their] platform" on social justice causes.