#Giants’ Daniel Jones supports Black Lives Matter loud and clear

Daniel Jones is entering his second season as the Giants quarterback as an emerging team leader, and Tuesday night he weighed in — loudly and clearly — with a strongly worded statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jones took his time before shaping and sharing his thoughts on social media, making sure he first spoke with teammates before going public with his views on the turbulence and racial unrest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks ago.

The 23-year old Jones posted his message on Twitter:

“Those of you who know me well know that posting on social media is usually not my first instinct about how to express myself, and I felt that listening and talking with teammates and friends was important as a first step.

“I proudly stand beside my brothers and the entire black community in support of the Black Lives Matter movement to end systemic racism. I know this is complex, and I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I am determined and motivated to do what I can to ask the right questions and work with others to drive changed on this issue. I acknowledge the fact that I will never truly understand how it feels to be on the receiving end of racial injustice, but I am committed to listening, learning, and taking action to stand up for others and make a difference in my community and in this country.”

Jones, ever since he was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in 2019, heard how much he reminded everyone around the Giants of Eli Manning, the quarterback Jones supplanted. Manning in 16 years did not participate on social media and tried to steer clear of political or controversial issues. In taking to social media, this was a departure from the Manning way of doing things the Giants grew accustomed to.

The statement comes after new head coach Joe Judge held a virtual team meeting last Friday for the sole purpose of discussing Floyd’s killing and the resulting protests around the nation decrying racial injustice and police brutality against African Americans.

John Mara and Steve Tisch, the Giants’ co-owners, listened in on the team meeting to gain greater understanding to the issues being discussed and the thoughts and concerns of the players.

Jones’ teammates Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard were part of a group of NFL players that created and posted a powerful video last Thursday, demanding action by the NFL. A day later, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a response video admitted “we were wrong for not listening to the NFL players earlier.’’