Kane believes caucasian athletes should speak about the George Floyd tragedy

Far from soft-spoken, San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane is in the headlines again, this time for comments that the forward made on Friday afternoon regarding the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which occurred when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on the victim's neck for over 8 minutes following an arrest, reportedly over the attempted use of fraudulent currency.

"We need so many more athletes that don't look like me speaking out about this, having the same amount of outrage that I have inside, and using that to voice their opinion, to voice their frustration, because that's the only way it's going to change."

Kane's comments regarding racism in hockey have been well-documented, and he believes that what the sports world needs is more of a voice - a right to speak their mind about contentious subjects without being stifled. He believes that white athletes should also speak out and offer their support in times like this.

"We've been outraged for hundreds of years and nothing's changed," Kane continued. "It's time for guys like Tom Brady, and Sidney Crosby, and those type(s) of figures to speak up about what is right and, clearly in this case, what is unbelievably wrong. Because that's the only way we're going to actually create that unified anger to create that necessary change, especially when you talk about systematic racism."

"I'm one of the anomalies when it comes to NHL players in doing that, and that's another part of our problem is guys being scared to really speak their mind and stand up for what is right, and this example - one of many, unfortunately - (has) continued (the trend) for the last number of years and ever since I've been alive," he said on ESPN's "First Take" earlier today.

Kane's comments will undoubtedly resonate with teammates who wish to offer their support during a very difficult time for the black community. It would seem that what the gritty winger hopes to accomplish by calling out the rest of the league's star players (who are predominantly caucasian), is to help create a unity within the league that would encourage players of all ethnicities to support one another during times of need, away from the sport.

"In hockey, it's a majority white league by far. It's not even close. So, we need to continue to come together. And we talk about it all the time, we talk about how sports is for everybody and about how it's an inclusive thing. But when we talk about our own personal battles outside of sports, there's a lot of people that are silent on issues and they're important issues. They're issues that have been going on for hundreds of years, and we need that same type of team mentality to be brought to issues outside of our sport."

Source: thescore.com

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