DAILY CLIPS SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020 LOCAL NEWS: Saturday, June 13, 2020 Pioneer Press U.S. seems ready for change, and Vikings hope to help make it happen By Dane Mizutani https://www.twincities.com/2020/06/12/how-the-vikings-are-emerging-as-a-vessel-for-change-following-george- floyds-death/ Star Tribune What's up with Dalvin Cook's holdout threat? (And other questions) By Michael Rand https://www.startribune.com/whats-up-with-dalvin-cooks-holdout-threat-and-other-questions/571214302/ The Athletic ‘That could be our kids’: For Spielman family, racism and inequality hit home By Chad Graff https://theathletic.com/1867425/2020/06/12/rick-spielman-family-racism-inequality-children/ Purple Insider Friday mailbag: Receiver depth chart, paying players, QB isolation By Matthew Coller https://purpleinsider.substack.com/p/friday-mailbag-receiver-depth-chart NATIONAL NEWS: Saturday, June 13, 2020 Maven Media 93 Days Until Vikings Football: Will Shamar Stephen Remain a Starter in 2020? By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/93-days-vikings-football-countdown-shamar-stephen Why ESPN Needs to Put Randy Moss in the Monday Night Football Booth By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/espn-randy-moss-monday-night-football-booth-announcers Vikings Rookie WRs Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn Give Back During Pandemic By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/vikings-rookie-receivers-justin-jefferson-kj-osborn-pandemic Forbes Vikings Embrace Role In Black Live Matter Movement Following George Floyd Death By Steve Silverman https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevesilverman/2020/06/12/vikings-embrace-role-in-black-live-matter-movement- following-george-floyd-death/#524928941f5d New York Times The N.F.L. Embraces Progressive Action, but Not Yet Kaepernick By Ken Belson https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/sports/football/nfl-protest-colin-kaepernick-activism.html MULTIMEDIA NEWS: Saturday, June 13, 2020 Dalvin’s Contract Call, Vikings Social Justice Committee By KMSP http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=8c0a73c8-fce0-490a-98e2-b7d8aa11dbb5 Vikings, Wilf Family Pledge $5M to Social Justice Causes By Pro Football Talk http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=ef87c0da-386b-4ed0-8e6b-63524ff774c7 VIKINGS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK: Saturday, June 13, 2020 Lunchbreak: ESPN Ranks Vikings 18th in NFL in Continuity By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/espn-ranks-vikings-18th-in-nfl-in-continuity Jefferson & Udoh Donations Help During COVID-19 Pandemic By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/justin-jefferson-oli-udoh-donations-help-covid-19-pandemic Milestone with Monterae: Vikings Table Food Truck Turns 1 By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-table-food-truck-turns-one-years-old PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 6/13/20 U.S. seems ready for change, and Vikings hope to help make it happen By Dane Mizutani Andre Patterson watched the horrific video of George Floyd gasping for air before dying under the knee of a former Minneapolis police officer. All 8 minutes, 46 seconds of it. He couldn’t help but think of the countless other African-Americans who had died at the hands of police, a list too long to memorize that in the Twin Cities notably includes Jamar Clark and Philando Castile. Whether it was Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., Tamir Rice in Cleveland, or Eric Garner in New York, each senseless death is a blunt reminder of a broken system. “I’m a child of the ’60s, OK?” said Patterson, recently promoted to co-defensive coordinator for the Vikings. “This has been going on my whole life.” You could hear the fatigue in Patterson’s voice as he uttered those words, even as he offered some hope that maybe this time is going to be different. Why? “Because the whole world got to see life leave that man’s body,” Patterson said. “That changed everything. Not only did they get to see him lose his life, they got to see it from start to finish.” Floyd’s death was a brutal illustration of something Patterson said the black community has long been trying to tell the world, and while it has fallen on deaf ears time and time again, it finally seems to be sinking in with protests that started in the Twin Cities and quickly sprouted throughout not just the nation, but other parts of the world. The general population has started to take a stand against racism and inequality in a way never seen before, and that Vikings are trying to be a vessel for change. They put their money where their mouth is this week and donated $5 million to various social justice causes, and the team on Wednesday held a nearly 90-minute video call during which members of the organization spoke with reporters to push the conversation forward. That call featured Patterson, chief operating officer Andrew Miller, general manager Rick Spielman, linebacker Eric Kendricks, safety Anthony Harris and running back Ameer Abdullah, all of whom talked about their experiences with racism and inequality, and how they want to go about evoking change. For Spielman, the issue is extremely personal. He recalled a scenario in which his son, who is black, was pulled over because he was suspected of stealing the car he was driving. “My son actually had to call home and get my wife on the phone to explain that this is our car,” said Spielman, who talked about the various other hard conversation he’s had to have with his six adopted children, none of whom are white. “It just tears me apart that we have a society that is still like that.” Those incidents of racism are far too familiar for the black community, including the many Vikings players who live it every day. It’s something the team acknowledges and will fight moving forward. “I’m thankful for 2020 because everyone’s had a chance to sit down at home and watch from the outside what’s going on, and these types of incidents are under the biggest of microscopes,” Abdullah said. “Now it’s like, ‘Whoa, it’s a big division. The people who stand for it are standing for it. The people who stand against it are standing against it.’ ” Floyd’s death, Abdullah said, has forced people to confront things they might have ignored in the past. That could go a long way in evoking change. “This is a time for us to reconnect, and I think 2020, it’s no coincidence with 20-20 vision,” Abdullah said. “I think a lot of people are seeing a lot clearer right now.” SPEAKING UP Usually quiet by nature, Kendricks felt the need to speak up a couple of weeks ago. He was disgusted by the emptiness of the NFL’s statement following Floyd’s death, 150 words that at no point mentioned racism. In response, Kendricks called the NFL out on Twitter, imploring them to take action. As much as it made Kendricks uncomfortable, he leaned into it, knowing that sometimes it takes being vulnerable to make things happen. “I felt like I had to speak up, whereas times before I might have been more timid,” Kendricks said. “This was an issue that we continue to face. It wasn’t going to change. I decided to use my platform.” Since then, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has issued a new statement in which he admitted he was wrong, condemned racism and systematic oppression, and vowed to stand with the black community moving forward. “Finally, having him say those things and having our back, I feel like we can all move forward now,” Kendricks said. “We all can take a deep breath and really go after these issues that are plaguing our country.” After seeing the impact he can have, Kendricks said he is committed to using his platform even more. He understands he can evoke change by speaking up. There might not be a player on the Vikings that understands that more than Abdullah. His father, Kareem, marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Ala., to help secure voting rights for African-Americans. “I come from a family that lived through the Civil Rights Era,” Abdullah said. “All the stories that I’ve kind of gotten as a young man stick with me because they embody my entire character, to fight through things, to always listen, and to try to make the best of situations.” Sometimes speaking up is easier said than done. Just ask Harris, who wanted to have a conversation with a police officer driving through his neighborhood earlier this week and couldn’t help but feel a little tense in the moments leading up to the exchange. “Just being an African-American man, sitting on the side of the road with my flashers on waiting for them to come out of the one-way street where I live, flag them down and have a conversation with them, it crossed my mind that I could be potentially shot or viewed as a threat just for what I was trying to do,” Harris said. “I made sure I proceeded with extra caution so I didn’t surprise them. With everything going on in the world, I tried to make them feel comfortable. It kind of just kept things in perspective of, no matter where I go or no matter what I’m really doing as an African-American man, that’s something that I can’t shake.” LISTENING MORE With the rest of the NFL speaking up, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer knew he needed to say something to his team. He wanted his players to know he was there for them.