High school football coach DJ Boldin's cousin, Corey Jones, was killed by a police officer. The officer was later sentenced to 25 years in prison, but, he says, 'It's one victory versus thousands of losses.' 'And my family still grieves with the nation.'
"This is a time where you guys get to change history and society as we know it," Pahokee High School football coach DJ Boldin wrote in a message to his players. For Boldin, speaking out is nothing new. In 2017, along with Saints defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, Boldin founded the, which works with state and local governments to end systematic oppression. And that same year, after a 14-year career, Boldin retired from the NFL to focus on his activism full-time.
"These kids already face a lot just from life itself. So to ... show them racism and to put it in their face that, 'Yeah, you are different,' I think that's a slap in the face to the kids."KG: So you also grew up in this same small town where you now teach U.S. and world history and coach football. You played on the Pahokee High football team. And then you went on to play at Wake Forest University. And you've said football shields you.
DB: Oh, my gosh. Corey is an angel now. He's always been an angel. Corey was always that relative that was supportive. He was a character. He likes to crack jokes. You know, he loves to laugh. And he loved music. I mean, his life was pretty simple. You know, he stayed around the church. His grandfather is the bishop of our ministry. And he played the drums for his grandfather. He used his gift and skill of playing drums to earn a living.
DB: No, no, and I'ma tell you why it doesn't help. Yes, it's some type of vindication. It's an anomaly, if you will. It's one victory versus thousands of losses. And my family still grieves with the nation. Like, yes, the officer is paying for his crimes, but he — the officer has left a residue, if you will, of guys that do the same thing that he's done.
"It's a sad reality that that could be me for no reason. I pray to God that it doesn't happen to another one of my family members, yet alone my own children."KG: In your note to your players, you didn't expressly mention your cousin. Am I right in assuming that's a story they already know? This is such a gratifying moment because I preach a lot to my kids. You get two lives to live. You get the football life and you get to real-world life. And I use my brother Anquan a lot. He had a 14-year career. Right? Very successful NFL career. And he retired at, what, 35, 36? You know, statistic has it, you're supposed to retire at 65. So you talk about 30 more years of life to try and figure out. And, you know, Anquan is doing a great job integrating back into the real world.
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