Advertisement

Duron Carter shouts out Black Lives Matter after touchdown against Argos

Duron Carter shouts out Black Lives Matter after touchdown against Argos

The CFL just got political. Montreal Alouettes' receiver Duron Carter, who's still facing a one-game suspension following his bump into Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell and subsequent ejection a few weeks back, but is suiting up despite that while his appeal plays out, caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Glenn Monday against the Toronto Argonauts. He then shouted out "Black Lives Matter, respect baby, that's all we want" during his on-camera time afterwards:

Here's video of the touchdown Carter caught before that:

Carter's comments are certainly going to draw some backlash from some who don't like seeing politics interspersed in sport, but the two worlds have always had a lot of crossover and continue to do so. Moreover, unlike the "All Lives Matter" hijacking of the Canadian national anthem by The Tenors' lone wolf a few weeks back, this wasn't Carter taking away an established ceremony; on-camera time after a touchdown is generally for players to shout out whatever they want, and while it's more typical to see them say hi to friends or family, there's no inherent reason why they can't comment on something that matters to them.

The CFL does have a long and proud history of opportunities for black players, coaches and executives, too, something that was reflected in a piece ESPN's The Undefeated ran earlier Monday (although it didn't really cover the racism some of those players did still face in Canada). A Black Lives Matter statement isn't necessarily at odds with some of the changes and some of the equality the CFL has championed over the years. However, the Black Lives Matter movement has plenty of critics out there, and there will be others who think a political reference of this sort has no place in a CFL game. Even some who support Black Lives Matter might think Carter could have made this point more eloquently and in more nuanced nature in an interview or a press conference. It wouldn't be surprising for Carter to get some blowback for this.