Former Baltimore Ravens star safety Ed Reed is going into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday.
The former Miami Hurricanes star is considered one of the greatest safeties in the history of the NFL.
He holds the record for the two longest interception returns for TD’s in NFL history and is a Super Bowl champion.
The former All-Pro may have made his greatest statement on Thursday evening while appearing at the Hall Of Fame game featuring the Atlanta Falcons and the Denver Broncos without even saying a word.
Reed made a powerful statement Thursday evening wearing a t-shirt featuring images of African-Americans killed at the hands of police brutality and violence.
Some of the images on the shirt, featuring nine images in total, included Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland and others.
Reed’s t-shirt served as powerful reminder of the platform that athletes, current and former, can use to call attention to the social issues of the day.
The city of Baltimore has recently come into focus with President Trump tweeting out racist remarks about the city, while additionally calling out longtime congressman Elijah Cummings in the process.
As a member of the Ravens for 11 seasons, Reed has been a tremendous representative and face for the city of Baltimore for years that the community has identified with.
Reed’s representation of the city of Baltimore as a legendary athlete and community advocate has been well-documented throughout his NFL career.
It should come as no surprise that Reed put that advocacy on full display on national television by reminding America about the work that still needs to be done.
Reed made his statement without making an interception or a bone-jarring hit, he simply let his actions do the talking, and that is something that can not and should not be ignored.
Take a look at Twitter’s reaction to Reed’s wearing of the t-shirt.
