NFL makes decision on anti-racism messaging for 2025 after controversially scrapping it for the Super Bowl
All 32 teams will feature an end zone message of their choice at each home game throughout the season, selecting from four options: 'End Racism,' 'Stop Hate,' 'Choose Love,' or 'Inspire Change.'
Once again, 'It Takes All of Us' will be stenciled in the opposite end zone for all games. The only change from 2024 is that 'Inspire Change' replaces 'Vote.'
The decision comes after the league faced a backlash last season when it opted to scrap its 'End Racism' messaging for the first time since 2020 at the most recent Super Bowl, between the Chiefs and Eagles in New Orleans.
NFL officials were forced to deny that the decision had anything to do with the presence of president Donald Trump in the stands for the game.
Commissioner Roger Goodell also previously said that he doesn't believe the league's policies to promote diversity are in conflict with the Trump administration's efforts to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.
This season, the social justice messages will complement the league's other cause campaigns such as Salute to Service and Crucial Catch, which will also appear in end zones during select weeks.
'We're working hand-in-hand with players, and alongside our clubs, to amplify player voices and underscore what is most important to them,' Anna Isaacson, the NFL's senior vice president of social responsibility, told The Associated Press.
'For decades, the NFL and its players have been a unifying force in American culture and society that brings people of all cultures and backgrounds together to enjoy America's most popular sport.
'This is an honor and responsibility that the league takes seriously, which is why we actively invest in off-field programs and on-field initiatives that promote unity.'
The league will use 'End Racism' along with 'It Takes All of Us' in the back of end zones for all international games for the second straight season.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will feature 'Choose Love' for their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys that kicks off the NFL schedule on September 4. They will rotate all four league-approved end zone messages throughout the season.
'Choose Love' was first introduced in 2022 and has been embraced by the Bills following a shooting that killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket.
'Choose Love continues to resonate across the league,' Isaacson said. 'It has become a unifying message of healing and hope, one that many players continue to wear voluntarily on helmet decals.'
Players will again have the option to display one of the five messages on their helmets this season.
Since 2017, the NFL has provided more than $460 million to dozens of grant partners and hundreds of grassroots organizations through its Inspire Change initiative, helping benefit communities in need.
Inspire Change has supported more than 650 nonprofits and 2,100 players and alumni, matching grants focused on mentorship, workforce development, and food insecurity.
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