Matt Ryan, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
(laughs) Thank you for having me, man.
This is a unique experience.
It really, really is a unique experience.
Before we get into the conversations in and around race
and the protests and everything that's happening,
just for you as an athlete, you know--
and that's how so many people know you, as an elite athlete--
what has this period been like? Are you training?
Are you... are you able to work out?
Are you able to create a semblance of a normal life
as you prepare for what may or may not be an NFL season?
You know, I think, uh, you know, I'm lucky.
I have a good setup in my house to be able to, uh...
to be able to train, make sure I'm getting my running in,
make sure I'm getting my weight training.
You know, that's nice, uh, but it's been...
You know, it's been different.
Uh, I think as we've gotten further along,
I think I've found ways to properly social distance,
-but also get to work with my guys on the field. -Mm-hmm.
And we've found some places that have, uh, allowed us
to get out there and get some work done.
But it's been unique, but you find a way,
and-and, uh, you figure out, you know,
how to get yourself ready to go, regardless of the circumstances.
Yeah, and the circumstances genuinely have been unique
in this time period.
You are in one of the cities in America
that is experiencing some of the greatest turmoil,
you know, um, Atlanta.
We've seen, um, Ahmaud Arbery. you know, in Georgia.
We've seen Rayshard Brooks.
We've seen the protests. We've seen the riots.
Talk me through what you've been experiencing,
as somebody who calls Atlanta home.
Well, it's been difficult, uh, to see everything going on,
you know, in our city and in our state.
Your heart goes out to... to their families,
uh, and their loved ones.
Um, because it's, you know,
it's just deaths that shouldn't have happened.
You know, that's... that's been part of...
of me wanting to, you know, speak out and help out,
uh, in ways that I can.
You know, you mentioned, I don't have these other ties,
uh, you know, to my professional life right now.
We have this time, we have this opportunity
to be able to put our energy and our effort in, uh, into that,
and I think it's, you know, it's an important thing to be able
to do that right now, because we need to make a change.
Uh, the way things have operated and the way things have gone
up until this point isn't good enough,
and so, um, you know, my hope is-is to be able to...
you know, use the platform that I have
to be able to create awareness
and, uh, help in the ways that I can help.
It's been interesting
in how you've shared your feelings honestly.
You know, you...
you haven't tried to act like you were perfect.
You haven't said that, "I've figured this thing out."
But you also said that you want to help as a white person
with a platform, which is not easy for a lot of people to say,
because you're so scared of the backlash
that may come with that.
Talk me through that experience,
and why you felt it was necessary for yourself.
As an athlete, I mean, you could easily say, "Hey,
it's... I'm an athlete, I can't talk about this."
Why did you think it was important for you
to speak out in the way that you have?
Well, number one, you know, this-this was something that,
you know, my friends and my teammates were saying.
Uh, as I was listening, you know, that...
some of the comments that were made were that...
you know: We appreciate you guys having our back
and having, uh, you know, telling us that you support us,
but I think it would help more if you did it publicly,
and you were able to go out and use the platform that you have
to... you know, to-to encourage change.
And so that was one of the parts, um, you know,
just that, as a friend, and listening,
um, to my friends and my teammates,
it just seemed like that was the next step
that needed to happen, because, you know,
what we had been doing up until this point
hadn't really worked, and so, you know,
if you continue to try and do
the same things we've done up until this point,
you're gonna continue to get the same results.
Uh, and so, for whatever reason, the timing...
I just, I felt like I had to do it,
because, um...
I regretted not doing that up until this point.
You know, I regretted just kind of staying on the sidelines
and... and not helping out in the ways that I could.
So it really stemmed, you know, from... from conversations,
uh, that I've had with my friends
about, you know, what can I do to-to make a difference?
Yeah, and one of the differences you-you... you started to make
is actually using the resources that you have
to give, uh, African American members
of the Atlanta community a leg up.
You've started a GoFundMe.
You donated $500,000 of your own money to that GoFundMe.
And what's interesting is, where some people have said,
"Hey, I'm gonna figure this thing out,"
you've said, "No, I'm gonna be talking
"to black community leaders
"and figure out where we can get money to the people
who need it for whatever they need it most for."
That-that's an interesting way to do it.
Why did you choose that path?
Well, I chose the path because, number one,
I knew I wanted to do something, but, number two,
you know, I knew that I d... I didn't know how...
how to do it or how to help.
And, you know, typically what I've found throughout my life
is, uh, when it's an area that I don't know the most about,
I think it's important to find people that do
and find people that you trust,
uh, and-and have them kind of guide you
the direction you need to go.
And so that's what I'm currently in the process of doing.
I've had great conversations, uh...
with probably about eight different people
from the... from the Atlanta community right now
that are heavily involved at the grassroots level, uh...
in terms of community organizers
and people that do this every day,
that have been trying to make a change for a long time
-Mm-hmm. -and are much more knowledgeable
about the hurdles that we have to jump,
but also the things that we can do
that are really gonna make an impact immediately,
and then long-term, too.
That's-that's kind of...
You know, my focus with this is-is...
you know, to make a difference now, for sure,
uh, but-but, you know, not, you know, rush into doing something
just to do it because the momentum is there right now.
Let's do something that's-that's gonna, um,
impact, uh, making change for the long haul.
Sports has always been seen as, you know,
a place away from politics,
but, as we've seen throughout history,
when politics can no longer be looked away from,
sports often becomes the platform for politics.
The NFL has become a lightning rod
for so many of these conversations,
and obviously, this has been sparked
by Colin Kaepernick and his protest.
Now, you've spoken in support of Colin,
and Roger Goodell has now come out saying he thinks
that NFL teams should look at hiring Colin again, and...
What would you hope to see from the league
going forward from here?
Of course, we would have liked for this to, uh,
have taken place...
much sooner, uh, than it has,
but we can't really change what has...
what has happened up until this point.
We can only control the change that-that...
that we can have moving forward.
-Mm-hmm. -Uh, and I think, you know,
within the last couple of weeks, you have seen,
uh, positive steps in the right direction,
but we need to continue, uh, to take those steps,
and we need to continue to push forward.
And I feel like, uh, I can no longer sit on the sidelines
and just kind of let it happen
the way, you know, other people want it to happen.
I think it's our responsibility as-as leaders
and as players in this league who have a platform
to be able to speak to continue to push...
you know, push the narrative forward,
uh, and-and to, you know, make the change that we want to make.
Well, I think you're doing amazing work.
Um, you know, the community of Atlanta
has really rallied around you,
saying they're proud to have you as a hero,
especially during this time.
So thank you for taking the time.
Um, good luck out there.
And, um, if I need you for my touch football league,
I'll let you know, but right now I got it handled.
All right, perfect. Steady QB right here.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Thanks, Trevor.