Transcripts: Michael Thomas Press convention

before we get begun, I do not even be aware of if instruct (O'Brien) remains on. teach, that turned into very encouraging to listen to from you and say that. simply searching lower back at 2016-17, being in Miami with Kenny (Stills), to listen to a head instruct say that, you have no idea how a whole lot extent that speaks. I just wish to say as a man, in my opinion, thanks. You hit on the entire points, and it means lots. As a young African American male in this nation, it capability a lot. So, thank you, instruct. What are your options on playing in your hometown and why have you ever dedicated this season to your family unit? One, coming again to play for Houston, I can not even truly thoroughly clarify it but I by no means even idea this could be a dream come true for me until I actually signed. just seeing the entire love and appreciation I got from my family unit, pals I grew up with, americans who may have favourite me simply from following my career from when i used to be playing at Nimitz, it became overwhelming. Then it just begun to hit me, like, wait, i am in fact going to get a chance to play for the homeland crew and get opportunity to assist this group win. it's overwhelming. i am tremendous excited for it to try to convey wins to this city. i understand how a whole lot the Texans imply to the metropolis of Houston. Houston, the tradition that we've here, everybody is trip or die for them. i'm excited to assist deliver that pleasure to the fans and to the metropolis of Houston. Dedicating this season to my household as a result of we were going through a lot of hardships these ultimate few yea rs. We lost my sister, NnZinga Thomas, and she became handiest a year and three months older than me to breast cancer closing September. We're still mourning but it was complicated for me as a result of I wasn't right here in Houston with my household. I came down for the funeral but needed to depart and go returned to manhattan. It became hard in view that damage and nevertheless dealing with my mom who has been struggling in reality my total profession with put up-stroke indicators. She had early Alzheimer's sickness. It was just hard and the closing two years it took a turn for the more serious and she ended up passing away a couple months in the past. We buried her the day earlier than mom's Day, and that is the reason been hard, however to really be right here with my household in Houston, I suppose that is going to be some thing that helps the healing system and that i'm going to dedicate this season to them. everything that i can do to aid my household cope with it. i know by way of playing in Houston that's going to bring them joy, just to be round me, to be round every thing. i am going to use this season to uplift my family unit. What has the verbal exchange been like amongst you and your teammates when you consider that the murder of George Floyd? First i'd say, there is so many teammates, ex-teammates, current teammates, who have reached out to each and every other, just showing guide. those mainly who don't seem to be African American and aren't black, to see them attain out to myself or avid gamers that they know had been trying to use their voice or their platform to communicate out towards police brutality or trying to talk for justice. that's been heartfelt, it truly is been touching because I comprehend it's specific. to see the avid gamers at the back of the scenes like Kenny Stills and myself â€" we can not be face-to-face all of the time so it be like 'seem to be, there is a march these days. These americans are speaking. Do you need to help communicate? Do you want to simply be part of it, be a part of the damage and the curative technique and simply being with the americans?' it truly is been what or not it's like in the back of the scenes, everybody attaining out to every other, displaying love, showing assist and just announcing what do we do to aid lean in on it. specifically for the existing avid gamers on the Texans â€" i am new, so i'm getting a chance to gain knowledge of every person and meet each person for the first time very nearly. it's been a good process because although we can not be head to head, we're nonetheless trying to build that bond. What became it like giving the graduation speech to your former excessive college and what did you tell them? It turned into a major honor for them to question me to talk to no longer just my excessive college but the complete school district's 2020 graduates. or not it's an honor for me, just 12 years on the grounds that I graduated from Nimitz to be asked to come back lower back and talk. For me, i used to be like every appropriate, that is fairly cool to have all the students desire me to come back again and speak. i was like, let me try to address them and talk on with every thing this is going on. I just allow them to recognize, look, y'all are dealing with anything that no person else has confronted in our lifetime, but do not consider discouraged, don't suppose such as you're lacking out on something great since you'll be remembered continuously. This 2020 type, there will on no account be a further graduating type such as you, and use this. for those who go on to your interviews and also you're writing your papers and stuff in college or you're applying for jobs, communicate on this event, speak on the adversity that you have had, that you've got faced even making an attempt to conclude your senior yr, trying to graduate, trying to still create recollections your closing couple months although you could not be face-to-face with your chums. talk on these experiences because, trust me, americans wish to hear your story and americans will doubtless be inclined to aid you or rent you as a result of they be aware of you could have faced adversity in life and overcame some thing. it's the message i attempted to portray to them or get to them and that i believe they bought it well. I all the time have love for Aldine. I always come lower back and do my summer time camps and speak to the youngsters all the time and they obtain it well. are you able to discuss with us about your role on particular groups and what it's like to cover kicks and punts within the NFL? It takes a different mentality. you are taking place there and going towards a bunch of fellows that should be would becould very well be their simplest job, to head down there and try to block you for the entire game. So, you should be quickly, you should be potent, but you could have also received to use your intellect and remember this guy that is likely returning the ball when i am protecting a punt or a kick, it's likely like a Tyreek Hill, it's probably like a (Mecole) Hardman, or not it's likely somebody who is very speedy, very gifted and talented. I acquired to, one, defeat my block, I have to get in place to even make an open container address â€" open container tackles are super hard â€" and then I should find a means to get him down. just figuring out that become going to be my ticket to taking part in a very long time in the NFL and to have longevity and a long career, I understood I needed to excellent that craft. I failed to simply want to do it to be one of the crucia l guys accessible, I are looking to master it and that i are looking to be one of the crucial ultimate. i know i will play on protection and i can contribute in any class of position, some thing the crew needs me to do, but if i will be able to superb that craft and make tackles the entire time, put myself in position, feeding off my teammates â€" and that i'm going to love being out there with (Brennan) Scarlett, Pete (Kalambayi), A.J. Moore, being accessible with these guys now as a result of they did it at a high level final 12 months and we're going to continue to are attempting to do it this yr. simply inserting myself in place to make these tackles and feeding off my teammates. How has defensive Coordinator / defensive position teach Anthony Weaver been coping with his first year as protective coordinator with the entire meetings being carried out just about? or not it's been an adjustment for every person but I think instruct Weave has handled it excellent. he's been very open about, 'good day, seem to be, we're all adjusting to this but there's no excuses for it. We're all going to make these alterations. We predict y'all to nonetheless gain knowledge of it. We are expecting y'all to be engaging, communicate with each different when we're on here.' He allows for us to clown around like we're still within the locker room and still within the team conferences, to get on each other and hang each and every different in charge. We even do quizzes on an app called Kahoot to make certain like, 'ok guys, we're going to look at the moment in front of every person who is aware of it, who knows their suggestions.' He keeps it enjoyable, he maintains it clean. it's been an outstanding adventure. I've learned a lot being new coming into this protection. You wouldn't even be able to tell that here is his first time being a DC. he is handled it smartl y, guys have answered to it neatly and guys are excited to play for him. can you provide us a little bit of the temperature of the NFL presently and listening to Head educate and well-known manager bill O'Brien talk so passionately about for what's occurring right now during this world, and what that capability to a new participant? Even educate O'Brien observed it, here's like the first time me and him have like met nose to nose. we now have considered each different on the Zoom calls, with the intention to be new and them figuring out my historical past, what I've finished during the past so far as social justice and taking a knee back with Kenny (Stills) again in Miami. Being new right here and hearing coach O'Brien say that in comparison to what we have now heard during the past, the previous couple of years after we tried to make use of our voices and our systems to speak about these social injustices and unjust murders because and police brutality, I suggest, or not it's so encouraging, as a result of now I don't think like I ought to disguise who i am, I shouldn't have to suppress my anger, my frustration which coincides with the relaxation of the black and the African American community that is been occurring for, like he stated, over 400 years. Traumatized through seeing movies after videos, murder afte r homicide, pleading for justice, pleading for just empathy. Now it be like ok, the temperature has changed, the tones have changed. that you may hear it in their statements. i used to be now not expecting bill O'Brien to be that thorough, to be that spot on with the entire feedback he made. I mean, he touched on every little thing. I do not even recognize if I may've observed it more advantageous today, right now, during this environment with every thing he mentioned. That means a lot as a young African American man playing within the NFL. it be encouraging. He touched on something else that is very important, admitting in the event you're incorrect. Admitting the wrongs which have been completed. I consider that we've got all requested for exchange and actual alternate in the NFL. From 2016 before, we see that with these new statements, but we're probably going to nevertheless have to have a conversation about what came about in 2016, 17, 18 and 19 with the gamers who've protested in the past. I consider individuals are still going to call for at the very least a dialog about that and the way gamers had been handled once they tried to do this the first go round. however, the beauty of it is, and i wish to emphasize that, is we wanted wonderful trade and that i suppose we're attending to that place now. or not it's encouraging to listen to train bill O'Brien to communicate the manner he speaks, the Texans to speak the style they communicate and the rest of the NFL, it looks like they are echoing the identical message. How have you ever advanced out of your days again at Nimitz high faculty via now? How have you ever changed as a frontrunner so far as what you have executed on the planet and within the group? i may say this, even returned at Nimitz, I've bought to attribute loads of me being involved in the group to my mother. this is whatever she preached all of the time, education and being a neighborhood chief. I consider the manner I've developed is understanding that as an athlete, a student-athlete at the moment to now an expert athlete, my voice likely carries a little bit greater weight than the different college students and as an expert it be carrying a little bit greater weight than a daily â€" not a daily, however a non-skilled athlete, a citizen. I even have an obligation in my intellect, here is where i used to be raised by means of my mother, to communicate out if there is social issues which are going on and that need addressing as a result of individuals take heed to us regardless if we're speakme about cancer focus or anti-bullying and stuff like that. Our voices amplify these motives, so when it involves social justice considerations, our voices can extend them as neatl y and i noticed that. How I've evolved is adequate, I by no means noticed myself as an activist, but when it got here time for athletes to step up and use their voice and use their systems to talk on this, i used to be doing it because i believed that became the correct component to do. That turned into just who i'm on account of who my mother raised me to be. this is doubtless how I've evolved on that entrance. With training, that is anything that my mother instilled in all her youngsters, each person turning out to be up, and i think that's a very good method for any one, an athlete or non-athlete to have upward mobility in life. So, giving out those scholarships, at all times speaking about SAT and ACT prep, financial literacy, those are the types of issues that i'll proceed to do even likely after my career is over with as a result of i do know it really is what's going to assist these youngsters who grew up in the same communities I grew up in, the Aldine enviornment, and neigh boring cities in Houston, it's what is going on to aid them have upward mobility and or not it's going to elevate them a protracted approach even if they are taking part in activities or no longer. It seems just like the NFL does not need to mention the name Colin Kaepernick, which is the place this area began. can you talk on that? additionally, are you able to discuss probably the most concerns you have got about moving around this country as a black man? I consider those are two extremely good questions. One, it must be addressed. gamers feel it. before it might had been, no longer may were, it turned into frowned upon to talk on this theme about Colin. We noticed what happened to Colin, we saw what happened to other gamers together with myself who used their voice, their platform, who could have taken a knee and had been now not on teams. They were traded, reduce, launched, not signed as in Colin's case. avid gamers felt like, good enough, I have to make a choice. lamentably, it truly is the way it became or it truly is how it is and now you see it come again full circle. The statements, and they are potent â€" hearing coach invoice O'Brien speak is effective. other coaches have finished the same. however, we must tackle if here is how we truly consider relocating forward, which is remarkable. We want to see actual exchange. We need to address at some point, the gamers who tried to speak on this earlier than, and that i'm making an attempt to use the appropriate observe â€" persecuted or exiled, something you wish to say, for doing the equal factor that we're asserting we care about now. gamers are going to call for that conversation to happen because the people are going to call for that conversation to happen. We can not just act find it irresistible did not turn up. i'm hoping that answered the first half. The 2nd part of the question, as a young African American male, enjoying in the NFL or now not, just at this time, me talking from Mike Thomas, it's irritating to assert I selected to take a knee back in 2016 and in 2017 with Kenny (Stills) in Miami. We desired to shed a light on these situations and lower back then it became the returned-to-returned unjust murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling in doubtless less than 24 hours and that is the reason what sparked me saying, seem, I don't care. I failed to have any classification of assure in my contract, I do not even suppose â€" I hadn't even rece ived to my 2d contract yet, however I talked about I do not care what occurs. I should do whatever thing. to look it four years later, adequate, boom, Breonna Taylor, boom, Ahmed Aubrey, growth, George Floyd â€" it's irritating. There are lot of individuals similar to back then felt hopelessness, felt anger and for me it truly is how it feels for those who see it, however we have received to do some thing about it. you might have received to maintain calling for justice. Make no mistake about it, it's what it is. it be about justice. that's what people need to see. i love the indisputable fact that â€" i'm now not going to name any â€" but so many non-black, non-African American avid gamers have reached out to me. 'Mike, what do we do relocating forward? How can i aid? How I may also be worried? I need to be aware' and just want to have conversations. I've adored it. i love y'all. i love everyone who's asking that query, who feels that method. the way so that you can help and i've a dvised them and i'll inform anyone is, relocating forward, demand justice. How do you do this? You do this through inserting power and holding dependable our elected officials on a state and native stage to have swift action whenever police brutality happens. those officers can't just get slaps on the wrists. It has to be fees, convictions, firing. It cannot be paid depart. placing drive on the govt to actually have swift motion for justice. We see a long way too again and again and African americans, as a younger African American male we suppose the hopelessness as a result of we see people who don't seem to be African American commit crimes approach more egregious and get slaps on the wrists, get non-responsible convictions and stuff like that and then we see African americans time and time again on video clips getting murdered however there is no conviction, there isn't a arrests. So, it is the problem. that's what i am feeling right now and that is the reason what a lot of peopl e are feeling at this time. So, moving ahead, i'm hoping that answers your query. call for justice. that is a means individuals can lean in and support. You have already got relationships with one of the vital leaders in this neighborhood. what's your confidence in those leaders that change will get executed? fully, mainly right here in Houston. I want to take some time and say this, to see what the metropolis of Houston has already carried out from listening to from the Mayor (Sylvester Turner), from listening to from the cops and officials and chiefs that I have relationships with to say, We stand via the americans within the metropolis of Houston. We're running with them, we're protesting with them. We're fighting for trade correct together with them. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is like, there are already bills on the ground. I've interned along with her. i know the work her and her personnel, her chief of personnel, they do on a daily foundation to are attempting to get true, sustainable trade finished in the course of the bills being passed. i love what Houston is doing. Houston is already on the forefront of that, however's one metropolis. Now or not it's as much as us to are attempting to demand exchange in other cities, and i suppose that with the Texans, me attending to reco gnize invoice O'Brien and just immersing myself in there, Deshaun Watson, Kenny Stills â€" I heard J.J. Watt and what he pointed out final week, this is extraordinary. just keep pushing, retain making an attempt to get all and sundry else not (simply) in the city of Houston, to needless to say our city is doing the appropriate work, we're on the right route, however we deserve to put power and try to hold the entire other cities in charge as smartly. What do you consider concerning the homeowners, conventional managers and a lot of the white players speaking out now when lots of them refused to claim the rest when Colin Kaepernick changed into present process so tons controversy? it be a deep one. it truly is a good question. What i'll say is actual change is what each person wanted to see, correct? So, admitting that in 2016-2017 this is the place we were, simply admitting that and announcing that, it's the place we have been. Come 2020, there was exchange of hearts, exchange of mindsets. Now, can we ever get better from what happened in 2016, 2017, 2018, will we ever improve from that? I have no idea, but i know moving ahead if these statements are specific and genuine, i love the undeniable fact that these players are speakme out and attaining out now and there's stuff we will do for it, first-rate. I consider that it does talk volumes to where we had been, though, and we should have real conversations and address that. Like coach invoice O'Brien talked about, admit to the wrong that turned into achieved. Colin, myself, Kenny (Stills), Eric Reid, all of the gamers across the league who selected to take a knee, it wasn't for us, it wasn't for our benefit, i t changed into for the individuals. it's for the pain that we've been experiencing, like coach referred to, and we simply want justice. it really is the purpose. i love the incontrovertible fact that, such as you stated, the GMs, the owners and the top coaches which are talking out now, let's now not co-decide the message, let's now not muddy the water of what or not it's all about, or not it's about justice. The component I think I heard from what the reporter earlier than you changed into attempting to ask, what may also be completed moving forward? it be calling for justice. Equality for all, sure, talking out for knowing and having conversations, extremely good, but the end intention is justice, and that is the reason what all these players who're reaching out, the GMs, head coaches, groups, the league, they could call for genuine justice when it involves police brutality, after which we can beginning speaking about equality and all and conversations for all. what is it like for you to be domestic on your neighborhood with every little thing going on presently? or not it's always exquisite to be able to be with the americans who are in the grassroots level doing the work daily, as a result of then you definately in fact know what's vital. If individuals ask, What can i do? i do know that this branch and this corporation has been doing it for a very long time and here's tips to assist. you can either donate time or economic donations and stuff to this corporation, because it's who's really going to support are attempting to create precise exchange. Being on the ground right here in Houston, i know that Congresswoman Jackson Lee is pushing for this invoice, and this invoice is going to try to bring forth exchange in opposition t police brutality. So, i can tell the americans, look, on this degree, here is what we should do to vote, and here is what we should still vote for, here is the invoice or the legislations we should still be voting for. it's been how i can support at the moment in Houston. I've got my daughter, she's 5 years old, about to show six, just graduated from kindergarten and she or he sees it each day. As a father or mother occasionally you're like when is the correct time to have these conversations with your youngsters, and you may are trying to protect it since you need them simply to be a child, just to are living their lifestyles, however on the same time they see it, and you've obtained to have these actual conversations. every so often they are uncomfortable. Being in the thick of it, being home, or not it's being in a position to support with the grassroots level and asserting hey, for everybody who is attempting to find some thing to do, how they can give back, i can assist facilitate like seem this is where we deserve to go to are trying to actually have sustainable alternate and a sustainable influence in this neighborhood, and additionally figuring out my own household, we're in the thick of it. I bought to clarify to my kids here is what's occurring and here is why. What turned into is want to watch what the americans of Houston did the day past in peaceful protest? It was superb. I had overwhelming delight for Houston. I felt like, adequate, my city receives it. Our tradition is so different and to see all and sundry leaning in, such as you spoke of, from officers to normal citizens to all of the individuals who have have an impact on in the city of Houston, the law enforcement officials, everybody to lean in and go to the march and be concerned with it, that simply shows how a good deal the metropolis of Houston cares for what's going on. We care about our personal. We're consciously privy to what's going on within the country and we are looking to see real trade turn up. i like being part of Houston and that i'm longing for being part of the trade it's going to come back. some thing the role the Texans want me to have in their process of creating precise exchange, it really is the role i go to take. i am going to are attempting to herald ideas, i am going to communicate with Kenny (Stills), i'm going to communicate with the relaxation of the teammates and say, appear, these are one of the most things that I've considered from working with Congresswoman Jackson Lee that we will do. i go to listen to issues that they have got and ideas that they've on how we can are attempting to assist and be part of this alternate, be a part of actual alternate right here, calling for justice.