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As a high-profile white NFL player, Joe Burrow's statement on George Floyd's death is significant

Joe Burrow hasn’t stepped into a Cincinnati Bengals huddle yet, but he has already shown his new teammates exactly the type of leader he is.

Burrow, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 pick in last month’s NFL draft, tweeted on Friday 27 words, a statement that spoke volumes:

“The black community needs our help. They have been unheard for far too long. Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn’t politics. This is human rights.”

Doing the right thing isn’t always easy.

Doing the right thing is significant when you’re the newly minted face of a franchise, in a league that has done what it could to silence those who speak, without having yet signed a contract and with endorsement riches on the line.