Milwaukee Brewers join Bucks in protest, sit out game vs. Reds after Jacob Blake shooting

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After the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks refused to play their Wednesday afternoon playoff game in protest of a recent shooting by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Brewers have joined them by deciding as a team not to take the field on Wednesday night, per Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal. The Brewers had been scheduled to play the Reds at home at 8:10 p.m. ET. Also according to Diamond, the Reds have agreed not to play, which means the Brewers will not be forced to forfeit the game.

As well, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that additional MLB protest cancellations for Wednesday could be in the offing. Passan in particular cites the Mariners, who have the most Black players of any MLB roster.

Earlier on Wednesday, Milwaukee reliever Josh Hader suggested that not playing the game was a possibility:  

Josh Hader on Bucks boycott: « I think it’s a tremendous stand. This is more about sports. » Says can’t say yes or no on #Brewers boycott. « I’m sure it’s something we are going to discuss. »

The protests stem from the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, by police in Kenosha, which is roughly 40 miles south of Milwaukee. 

According to video, police shot Blake multiple times in his back as he attempted to enter his vehicle. Blake remains hospitalized in serious condition, and attorneys for the family say he is now paralyzed. Blake’s shooting comes after weeks of turmoil and protest following the killing of George Floyd, another Black man, by Minneapolis police. Tensions surrounding the Blake protests were tragically heightened when a teen from Illinois allegedly shot and killed two protesters Tuesday night.

On Monday night, Brewers reliever Devin Williams scrawled « BLM, » the acronym for the Black Lives Matter movement, into the Miller Park mound before he pitched. 

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SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com