The New York Jets reached out to radical pro-police organization Blue Lives Matter NYC on Tuesday inquiring about a partnership.
What they got in response was an angry email disparaging the concerns of minority Americans who suffer unjust violence at the hands of police, The New York Post reports.
Blue Lives Matter founder Joe Imperatrice shared with The Post an email exchange he had with Jets partnership manager Anthony Bulak in which he blasted NFL players for not respecting police.
Blue Lives Matter founder: NFL players issues are made up
Imperatrice’s response, via emails shared with The Post:
“Although I’d love to work with an NFL team right now I feel it is not the right time. All over the United States players feel entitled to disrespect our first responders, our military members both past and present and our flag. These players make more money in a season than some people make in a lifetime and their ‘Issues’ are made up, exaggerated, and more times than not false.”
Imperatrice’s response echoes rhetoric at the center of the ongoing NFL controversy critical of players who have chosen to kneel or protest social justice issues during the national anthem.
Rather than address their concerns, Imperatrice attacked the players as anti-military while suggesting that because they get paid a lot, their issues don’t matter to begin with.
Imperatrice went on to color protesting players as ignorant.
“Once again I do appreciate the offer but revenue we have could better be spent on the families of officers killed in the line of duty protecting the ignorance of these individuals rather than contributing to their paycheck.”
Bulak responded to Imperatrice’s concerns citing the Jets’ history of supporting first responders and not having players involved in anthem protests, according to The Post. The Jets have not said why the decided to reach out to Blue Lives Matter in the first place.
“I appreciate you sharing your opinion and although I can’t comment too much on it what I will say is the Jets have never had a player protest our anthem. The Jets have always been supportive of our police, firefighters, EMTs, etc. and will continue to do so,” Bulak wrote, including a flyer for the team’s First Responders Night.”
Bulak’s response prompted Imperatrice to point out that the Jets signed running back Isaiah Crowell, who posted a graphic Instagram illustration of a police officer having his throat slit open by a hooded man when he was with the Cleveland Browns in 2016.
“If I am correct the JETS may have signed an individual who depicted a Grim Reaper slicing the throat of a police officer,” Imperatrice wrote, including a photo of the controversial 2016 social media post.
Crowell’s decision to post the image was widely condemned and prompted him to donate a game check to Dallas Police. Cleveland’s police union made peace with Crowell after he apologized.
