Photo: Jay Willett/WBZ NewsRadio
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Gillette Stadium was filled with former professional athletes and celebrities as they spoke about how sports can play a role in condemning all forms of hate.
The event, led by the Blue Square Alliance, held a panel where sports greats were able to speak about their experiences with hate, like former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.
“There’s something happening where what you see on your phone every day— some of [what we] are seeing on our phones is very different. I think we’re in different algorithmic universes," Edelman said.
Robert Kraft founded the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism in 2019, which led to the creation of the alliance in 2023 to inspire Americans to stand up to hate, something BSA President Adam Katz says is still going strong to this day.
“We are stewards of our teams, of our communities, being in sports, and that is a responsibility to make our communities better, by reducing hate,” said Katz.
“To have a very specific list of, ‘here are the tactics that I’m going to start doing, or continue doing, or add to,’ and that’s a lot of what the session is," Katz said.
Along with Kraft sitting in the front row at the event, other speakers also included CNN’s Van Jones and former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jay Willett (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.