Quin Snyder Proud Of Jazz Players Response On Social Injustice
Jun 25, 2020, 5:15 PM | Updated: Jun 26, 2020, 9:31 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder applauded his players’ reaction to the social injustice protests that have swept the country. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has been an active participant on social media using his platform to push the dialogue. Snyder shared his thoughts on a media conference call Thursday afternoon.
“I’m extremely proud of Donovan that he’s articulating, even in the form of a post,” Snyder said. “That’s a form of expression and something that he feels that it’s important personally and important to our society.”
Mitchell faced both support and blowback from fans for some of his recent Instagram posts. Last week, the guard posted a photo on Instagram that read “Free-ish, Since 1865.” The post commemorated Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating Texas’ fall to the Union Army, fulfilling President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to free the country’s slaves.
While most comments were supportive, some combative towards Mitchell’s stance.
“There were a lot of positive comments surrounding Donovan’s post,” Snyder mentioned. “That said, there were also some comments that were abominable. Things that we all should never tolerate. So, to the extent that you can rationalize some of those negative comments by saying there were positive comments, I think that’s a mistake.”
Snyder is a member of a recently formed committee to combat racism, racial profiling, and police brutality. The group is made up of members of the NBA Coaches Association, and is “committed to working in our NBA cities with local leaders, officials and law enforcement agencies to create positive change in our communities.”
“The road from complacency to complicity is a slippery slope,” Snyder said of speaking out against injustice. “And I think as we educate ourselves more and more, that complacency falls off.”
Snyder Applauded Players For Action On Social Injustice
The Jazz coach applauded the work of his players during the protests for expressing their voice, especially concerning difficult conversations.
“We’ve heard a lot of talk about uncomfortable conversations, and that’s okay,” Snyder said. “One of the things that that’s been talked about a lot is it’s okay to be uncomfortable. So, Donovan was certainly uncomfortable. On some level, it takes courage to stand up for what you believe in and to the extent that he made some other people in some of us uncomfortable.”
Mitchell wasn’t the only Jazz player Snyder mentioned by name. Guard Jordan Clarkson has been vocal online and posted photos of himself at a public march.
“I’ve been very proud of our players,” Snyder said. “Seeing Jordan marching in Los Angeles — other guys in our team that have been doing different things in their communities and in this community. And for them to express themselves intentionally and thoughtfully about the things that are important to them, both individually and you know, in society at large is something that is good in and of itself.”
Returning To Orlando
Though the majority of the conversation was centered on social issues, Snyder briefly touched on the league’s return to Orlando. The Jazz have begun individual workouts with players as they prepare to travel to the Walt Disney World Resorts in early July.
While some NBA players have announced their intention to sit out, it appears all healthy Jazz players will compete in Orlando.
The @UtahJazz will have a never before seen starting lineup when they retake the floor in Orlando.
Here are the best unit's the team can roll out in Bojan Bogdanovic's absence. https://t.co/tV63mVh0z0
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 24, 2020
“All of our players and our coaches in our organization as a whole have respect for the players’ individual right to make these decisions based on their personal convictions,” Snyder said. “Whether it be health-related, family, or social issues. […] As of right now, our group is going to be intact going to Orlando.”
Teams must submit their traveling roster to the league by July 1. At-risk players can skip the remainder of the season without penalty. Those players who sit out with being deemed high-risk will lose compensation for the games missed.
