A new book from former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith titled "Turf Wars" will be released to the public on August 5th, and it features some intriguing behind-the-scenes details that involve some of the most notable members of the NFL, including current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Awful Announcing's Daniel Kaplan received an early edition of "Turf Wars", and he recently shared some of the things that Smith has included in the book. At one point, Smith mentioned how Cousins was in attendance for a meeting about players kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem in order to protest police brutality.
During the meeting, Smith shared that the current Falcons quarterback said in a room where he was the only white player in attendance, "I just think we all need to understand… that kneeling may be hurting the game and having an effect on revenue."
Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins was worried protests could have an effect on NFL revenue
Cousins has made more than $293 million in his NFL career, and he has one playoff win to show for it. So, unfortunately, this quote from the veteran quarterback isn't too surprising, but that doesn't mean it still can't be disappointing.
Instead of Cousins supporting his teammates and fellow members of the league in their protests against police brutality, all he could think about was how kneeling during the anthem might impact his bank account.
While other players were using their platform to bring awareness to serious issues and events taking place around the country, Cousins was basically more concerned about the protests potentially hurting how much money he'd be able to steal from a team in his next contract.
However, in 2018, the NFL's owners essentially echoed Cousins' disappointing concerns when they agreed to a new anthem policy that prohibits players from kneeling or sitting during the playing of the National Anthem.
This policy and Cousins' quote from Smith's book are both just a reminder that everything and anything the NFL ever does will forever be fueled by money. Coincidentally, Cousins has been the poster boy for this approach, as he is arguably one of the most overpaid athletes in the history of professional sports.