Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Vikings RB Alexander Mattison talks about using his voice for change

Episode Date: June 29, 2020

Mattison talks about how his experiences when he was young shaped his drive to speak out against inequality and the changing landscape of the NFL and how players using their voices for change is being encouraged.  Read Matthew Coller's written work at PurpleInsider.substack.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Soccer stars and the moments that made them. Premiering this summer on Blue Wire. All right, welcome into a very special episode of Purple Insider. Matthew Collar here along with Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Madison. And Alexander, I always start every podcast by just saying, hi, how are you? Like a normal person. But lately, every person I say, how are you? There's a different feel to it because we're all going through something these days, whether it's with COVID-19 or what we went through as a community in Minneapolis over the last month or so. So tell me in serious, not just being polite.

How are you doing? Are you handling all of this OK? Yeah, I've been navigating it better than I thought I would. I was actually down in L.A. training first after the season finished up. And, yeah. So for me, it was a really weird transition going from training full-time down there on a routine to, okay, well, hey, we're not going to be in tomorrow because the governor shut us down. The whole state started to shut down, and things kind of just wouldn't really uh left me and so I was just home workouts and uh got back

to Minnesota and doing home workouts you know we couldn't get together here so I was able to get in the routine and figure things out for myself uh but really it wasn't that bad I was you know surrounded by people that I I have family back in. So I have my mom here, my girlfriend here. So I never was really like alone to kind of navigate by myself, which I think helped me a lot, definitely. But it is something that's just very weird. It's something I would have never expected to happen. And then especially with all of the social injustice things going on around the world,

it's kind of been heavy on my mind and heavy on my heart a little bit. So just dealing with that and dealing with just being at home, things are starting to open up a little bit more now. But yeah, it hasn't been too bad. I've done better than I thought I would. And that's the thing is that all of us were dealing with life changes including myself but really everyone being impacted in some way whether it's even just changing work routines or workout routines or whether it's having you know major life changes due to COVID and then you add on top of that the murder of George Floyd and how that entirely shifted, really, the world that we live in in one moment. Were you in Minneapolis when that happened?

Yeah, yeah. I'm right here, 20 minutes away from where it happened. So do you recall just kind of what that felt like for you in the first days after it happened because in the weeks since there have been a lot of positive things that have come after in the response which we'll get into in your view kind of on social justice and now having conversations that as a football reporter I've never thought that we would have with players and be on conference calls with players talking about relationships with police, which, again, just didn't seem possible a couple of years ago. But when it initially happened, what was your feeling? It was shocking.

It was, I mean, it's something that I have been aware of over the past years since the first kind of eye-opening incident that happened to Trayvon Martin when I was in high school. And it just hasn't stopped. For me, this was something that was just like, like, it's just like when you kind of hit rock bottom, that's kind of what it felt like. It was like, you know, we're fighting this fight and this was it. This was the turning point. And for me, when I first saw it, I didn't even know it was here in Minneapolis. I thought, you know, I didn't know when I first saw the video. And so it just hit even harder when I saw that it was here in Minneapolis. And, yeah, I just really couldn't believe it. This is hardly something new.

I mean, we're talking about 400 years of systemic racism, including the police's role in that and law enforcement's role in that in a system designed to work against black people. That's been going on for a very long time. But all of a sudden it seemed to hit everyone with George Floyd. And the protests were at a level that we've never seen before, even with Michael Brown or, like you mentioned, Trayvon Martin. And other football players have made statements before, Colin Kaepernick, of course, but also Andrew Hawkins. And I remember the St. Louis Rams also did something that had a lot of blowback to it. And this time, maybe it was because we were all at home and were forced to sit and watch it and couldn't distract ourselves.

But it really changed the way a lot of people looked at social justice looked at police and their role in communities and we've seen change since why do you think it was so different this time when it's something that has been going on for so long um i think for one it's just you know there's a shift in power going on. There's not. And just, you know, just to be, you know, frank with it, it's just black people as a whole are just tired of the oppression. And you see it from the riots with Rodney King. And that was something that the L.A. riots, and I believe it was 1992, if I'm not mistaken.

But the L.A. riots, when that happened, was something that happened because of the social injustice. And, you know, this is coming from a time period as well. Yeah, no, that was in 1992. I think it was 62 or something. Anyway, this is... The LA riots were early 90s. There was Detroit in the late 60s. Some more kind of effect is what we saw. Yeah, exactly. So this is something that's been happening.

This is the Detroit. Then you go to the LA riots. It's just like a cycle where we've had enough and it's just you know it's a build-up thing where um you know you build up these moments and this rage and this this unjust uh system treating us this way and you get to a point where you know I've had enough um and any person would feel that way when it comes down to being treated unfairly or um you know just things not going your way you just get to a point where you've had

enough and that's what the black culture as a whole has come to and like you said it's everyone being at home and everyone being able to have their eyes open to something like this. No one's able to escape this from being at work or whatever it might be. Everyone has the opportunity to open their eyes to something that's going on in this world. And I think that's something that really kind of fueled this a little bit more than usually. It's a great point about that feeling of enough. And I remember Tupac talking about the early 90s riots and saying that you know you knock on the door and you ask nicely and then you ask a little louder and eventually you're going to just break down the door and it seems

with george floyd that the door has been broken down in a lot of ways especially with football players now the reason i wanted to talk to you specifically is because you are 22 years old and happy belated birthday to you. I think you just turned 22, right? Recently. Yeah. So you're a very young player. And in 2016, you're still in, if I'm doing my math right, like early college days for you, right? 2016. And that's when Colin Kaepernick first starts kneeling and I was reporting on the Minnesota Vikings and even though there was a lot of players who were kneeling and trying to get the message of what Colin Kaepernick was really saying out there was a lot of misunderstanding there was a lot of pushback there was pushback from the president there was confusion

of what to do from head coaches from owners from from everybody in the nfl that doesn't understand and had not been paying much attention to this particular issue and with this time to hear that mike zimmer said to the team that he'll never really truly understand because he's white but he wants to have everyone's back with this. Now, that wasn't necessarily his position a few years ago. To hear Andre Patterson and to hear Eric Hendricks and Amir Abdullah, these guys speaking about this issue, is just such a monumental change from where we were in 2016, and then to even see polls of Americans feeling much more in support of players kneeling and getting this message out that is not anti-flag.

I mean, I guess from a young person's perspective, what has it meant to you to see that change to come so far, even from just the time where you were in college? It means a lot because, you know, for me, when it initially happened, that was my transition from high school to college. I just graduated, and it was my freshman season. And, you know, we don't go out for the flag in college, so we didn't even have the opportunity to make that decision or not. But I knew in my head that I was behind what Kaepernick was taking the lead for

and what he was quote-unquote standing for during that time. And it's just, to me, I'm happy to see the change around the league and happy to see so many coaches and so many uh owners and players standing together um for this because they know as well that uh you know even in the nfl um there's you know there's a power that we have to make a change and with our platform um i feel like that's something that we should be doing. And that's something that we've wanted to do. But once again, the system is something that's trying to hold people back from exposing some of the things that are going on in this world and trying to ignite that change. So for me, I'm super, especially, you know, there's guys like Amir and Eric Kendricks and, you know, we have our social justice committee that we have here with the Vikings

and we're doing things and we're trying to do our best. And the owners here are amazing, doing their best to try and help make a change. And I think that that's something that wasn't present in 2016. And for that to be something that is actually, you know, a priority for the team and for many teams around the league, I think that's a beautiful thing. And I think that it just has to go beyond that, though, and that this is only the beginning stages

and that we have to continue to use our platform and continue to use the power that we have to continue to use our platform and continue to use the power that we have to keep pushing forward as a whole. Before we get back to the conversation, I want to remind you to go to sodastick.com to get your original Minnesota sports-inspired goods. They just launched their partnership with Michelob Golden Light for the Mick Golden Light Fishing Club merch line. The logo includes a walleye chugging a beer, and they have it on shirts, hoodies, windbreakers, and more.

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a guy who I've always known to be interested in issues like this, but not necessarily out there with it and talking in the media and making statements on social media and things like that to come out and challenge the commissioner to actually do something. And I think, Alexander, that's one of the questions that a lot of people would have when we're discussing this with football players um is how can you use those platforms because one thing that goes through my head all the time is there are so many problems and how do we deal with all of them right i mean it's not just what happened to george floyd it's everything i mean there's

almost anything that you can bring up, whether it's housing or jobs. Or we see in the NFL, you have great coordinators who are black and do not get head coaching jobs when people with mediocre experience in the background do get head coaching jobs and so forth. I mean, there's just so many issues. Where do we start as NFL players and

society to start to change these things? That's a good question. I think for us, the starting point, it comes where we're at now in this stage of using our voice. There's really not going to be any change if no one feels what the players feel. No one feels the perspective of us. And so us standing together and us voicing our opinions is what's going to ignite the change. It's going to get people to start to happen this way because finally enough is enough. But I think we stand together and we stand stronger that way. And so I think we continue to come together and that's going to be the game changer for sure. That's what they say is identifying the problem is the first step to solving the problem. And I try myself not to get frustrated with people who were maybe trying very hard not to identify the problem and now have been forced to do it.

And I think what Andre Patterson said was with George Floyd, everyone saw it from start to finish that he did nothing. I mean, there was always a well you know he should have done this or maybe he shouldn't have done that but with george floyd it really sort of shocked people into no this is what's been going on and then to hear some of the stories because again with no sports going on espn has been dedicated to this nfl network has they've covered these things in the detail that they've deserved for so long, but we were always distracted by which offensive guards were free agents this year and things like that. And the conversations that have been had and the stories that have been

shared, including by Rick Spielman talking about his kids who are black and his son being racially profiled when he was pulled over. I mean, those things are very powerful for people to hear and get that message out in a stronger way than maybe ever has before. I'm curious from your perspective, Alexander, I know that there were some tough times in your life growing up. And how that shaped your relationship with your parents as well? How that shaped your view on all of this? I don't know if people know that you were very, very good academically growing up, and maybe it's just that you've always been kind of a study of society, but somebody your age to have such a great understanding of how all of this works is very impressive. So how did it, growing up, sort of shape the way that you viewed social justice and kind of compelled you to want to make changes in society?

Yeah, so for me growing up, it was never an easy time, really. And I kind of just made sure that I was going to make it out of a city where I was nothing but a statistic. And it's one of those things when people say innocent until proven guilty, but really it's the other way around. And that's kind of the walk of life for me and people like me, like my friends, my family. Growing up, it was always that story for us. I've never been pulled over for just being suspicious, walking around my hometown growing up. But I did experience, you know, a situation where me and my teammate

were driving to another teammate's house in college and we were pulled over just because they thought his words were I could pull you over because I want to and that to me was just like what is happening

and so going up I never thought of a situation like that because it never really happened to me and um partly because like i said that we were a statistic and police didn't pull you over back home just because uh they wanted to because you know i'm a teenage kid walking down the street they didn't just pull me over because they wanted to. But my friend to the left who was, you know, they had a different background where he was raising his sister by himself. And he was, you know, having to do things to get than the gang who wore a durag to school because he

wanted to take care of his hair because that's something that he was passionate about he had been pulled over plenty of times just because they thought this of him or were suspicious of this and um yeah you know there's there's a that's the crazy part is, though, I can walk next to my friend and we're fine. But the minute he's alone and because of the way that he looks or the way that he talks or the way that he was brought up, he's racially profiled. And I just, I just know growing up at a young age that there was a lot of things that weren't right. The system is built to keep us down, I believe. And I'm not served as even something that I can say without getting backlash. And that's the crazy thing is that I've grown up to have to watch what I say, to have to watch the way that I dress and the things that I do

to conform to society that is built to keep me down. And that's something that's crazy. My mom had to put me in the dual immersion program because she thought, you know, being black from San Bernardino, I needed an upper hand. I needed, you know, something that set me apart. And, you know, thinking about that growing up, it was like, you know, that's a blessing that my mom thought of that, put me in the program. Now I'm bilingual. But when I look back on it now, it's crazy to think that my mom had to think to do that for my future because she knew that I needed that upper

hand being black from San Bernardino. And so a lot of that has, you know, just growing up in a situation like that and just being blessed with parents and family members that are wise enough to help us learn and teach us things like that. That's kind of helped me come, you helped me be the way that I am today. Before we get back to the conversation, I want to remind you that there is no shortage of action going on right now at our exclusive partners at betonline.ag.

Sports are slowly making their way back, and BetOnline is leading the way with the best odds and lines We'll be right back. sports bet online has hundreds of casino games poker tournaments and prop bets to check out visit betonline.ag use the promo code blue wire for a free welcome bonus that's one word blue wire bet online your online wagering experts and it is funny how as a kid you sort of just take everything in stride and then you know you start to grow up and you start to see the world in different ways and then it all of a sudden sort of hits you like a flood i guess which i imagine is happening to a lot of people all the things that maybe you shouldn't have had to deal with that you did and i think you touched on right there the concept of being twice as good to get

half as far which we've seen in the nfl uh it was amazing to me that a couple of people had said well you know football this is a place where everybody's on an equal playing field. It's like, well, you might want to check the history of coaches and quarterbacks to figure that out. Lamar Jackson turned out to be an OK wide receiver, didn't he? Just kidding. Not so much. Right. Who says that guy should play wide receiver? And he's the MVP MVP of the league I think we see it right there so but that's just on a football perspective kind of you know on the societal perspective it's small in comparison and the Vikings as you mentioned have made strong statements that they want to support players and you have a committee that wants to work with

police too then that should be made clear that eric hendricks talked about one of his close friends being a policeman and going to meet with the chief of police and i i guess that i'd love to hear what you think the the goals are for the vikings to make changes well our goals that we've talked about in the social social justice committee is uh bridging that that gray area um there's a gray area that you know we want to feel um as far as understanding perspectives um we want to bridge that conversation that uncomfortable conversation where uh you understand me as a black man. I understand you as a police officer. I understand you as a Hispanic man or Hispanic woman, black woman, and just kind of get that conversation where why do you kill us

and why do you fear for your life and why do I fear for my life? And kind of just that's something that came up that I think is going to be really effective for us to try and have that uncomfortable conversation where we kind of just have a on stage kind of seminar

thing where we broadcast this to where people can watch this uncomfortable conversation of why which has been really a big question for so long is why, why do you fear for your life when you pull me over? Why do I fear for my life when you pull me over? And why is this, you know, why there's this gray area between me and you and between the system

and us. And we're just kind of trying to get an understanding so that both sides and all sides feel a little more comfortable navigating through life. Yeah. And I think that what everyone would agree on is that it's broken and it can be better. Anything can be better. Like any system that we have in the entire world can be better. Anything can be better. Any system that we have in the entire world can be improved, and this one needs massive improvement,

but that doesn't mean, and I think it gets misunderstood sometimes, not because of the people who are giving the message, but because of the people who like to twist it intentionally. But it will get lost sometimes when we talk about rebuilding police and how we think about public safety. that's not to say we want no one protecting communities and things like that. You want them to, but not in a manner that ends

up with what happened with George Floyd and also not with police officers who have had 17 incidents in the past and continued to be out there walking the streets, you know, because most police officers don't have that, don't have 17, whatever it was, you know, different incidents of violence or whatever else. Most don't have those types of issues. So how can we, you know, deal with that going forward? I wonder, there have been so many things, Alexander, through these last few months that I have read or that I've listened to that have just moved me in a lot of different ways.

And I wonder if there's something that sticks out to you. For me, the other night watching the ESPYs, I've never felt that way before. I mean, I never really dreamed that we would see something like that with Malcolm Jenkins, you know, talking about social justice and, you know, seeing the commissioner even say Black Lives Matter. Like those things just even a couple of years ago, I would not have thought would happen. I wonder if there was something that you saw, something that you read, or even a conversation that you had through these last couple of months, that's really sort of solidified a thought in your mind or moved you or, or just kind of made you think even deeper about this? I would say something that really hit home to me was being able to attend

George Floyd's funeral out here, his memorial service, and Al Sharpton was speaking. And the energy and the power in that room was something different. It was just to hear the testimonies of his brothers and sister and to see his family down there. It was something that hit my heart at a level that I haven't haven't felt in a while especially just you know being there and feeling that room feeling that passion and feeling the words that came out of Al Sharpton's mouth and just that was something for me that I knew that I needed to do my part and try and do the best that I can to use my voice, to use my platform,

to continue to make change. And he couldn't have said it any better that the time is now. There's always been time for change. And, you know, people have said it over and over again, it's time for change, but there's no other time. We can't wait any longer, and the time is now. Yeah, it's a great point, and that was very moving. I listened to that or watched that on TV as well, and what Reverend Sharpen said that day was really incredible and sticks out in my mind and will for a very long time. Alexander, this conversation has been tremendous.

It's great to learn your perspective on these things as a young, up-and-coming NFL player. I wonder where we've got to now if you feel like, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but there's a little playing for bigger purpose or even in some ways weight off the shoulders of carrying, do I speak out as an NFL player? Do I retweet that? I think even for someone know, for someone like myself that's interested in issues like this, there is always that, like, do I want the mentions? And maybe for you, do I want to hear from the organization? Why did you retweet that? Why did

you favorite that? And now, you know, I don't know, like, is that freeing to you? Yeah, definitely, especially just coming off my rookie year i did have that thought in my mind like do i have a place to say this do i have credibility to even you know be a part of this talk you know i mean it's it's one of those things that just it kind of sounds like well why would you think that way but um people don't understand, you know, Colin Kaepernick took a knee and his dreams were thrown down the drain. Everything he worked for his whole life, the career that he had built up was taken away because he chose to use his first amendment right in a peaceful way. And that, to me, for someone that was, you know, coming out of high school, going into college during that time and to see, you know, over the years what, you know, during the years that I was

in college and to getting to the point, working to the point where I'm at now, that's something that I actually, you know, had to think about when this issue came up. And like you said, do I retweet this? Do I tweet this from my heart, from my own mind? Do I, you know, share this? And that's something that I really did have to think about. But like I said, I know that a lot of people would agree, you know, enough is enough. And I feel it deeply inside of me. I know people around the world, especially the families that had to experience the tragedies over the years, feel that. I just knew that I wanted to be a person that didn't regret holding it back. Definitely a spring just to know that the league and many owners, many teams around the league,

and many players are sticking up, and we're all together in this. And like you said, it's freeing to know that I don't have to be scared to share my heart and share my mind on issues like this because there's no other way for change to be initiated either. It wouldn't have happened if not for the league's hand being forced. And sometimes that's the only way that change can happen. Alexander Madison running back for the Minnesota Vikings. This has been great, man.

I, you know, I would prefer we were just talking about outside zone schemes and things like that, that we, you know, we didn't have COVID and we didn't have, you know, the murder of George Floyd or anything else, but those things are realities. And I like that we're able to take time and talk about them. And I really appreciate you coming on here. And I'll just say again, a conversation that I would have had off the record with someone who's a player, but not on the record, not on on a podcast before and i'm so glad that we can do that now so i really appreciate you taking the time of course i appreciate you having me on