Saints practice with Jacob Blake’s name on players’ helmets in the wake of Wisconsin shooting

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Several NFL teams followed the Detroit Lions’ footsteps on Thursday by calling off practice in the name of renewed social justice discussions. The New Orleans Saints opted for a different approach, albeit one with similar intentions. As cornerback Janoris Jenkins shared on Instagram, the Saints practiced Thursday with “Jacob Blake” decals on the front of their helmets, recognizing the 29-year-old Black man who was left paralyzed by a recent police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“If you stand for nothing,” Jenkins captioned the photo, “then you’ll fall for anything!”

The Saints typically have decals with each player’s name plastered across the front of practice helmets. According to The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell, every single member of the team’s offseason roster had their own decal replaced with “Jacob Blake” on Thursday.

And that might not be it for demonstrations meant to highlight Blake. The Times-Picayune’s Luke Johnson hinted Thursday that the Saints may “have more things in store outside of the Jacob Blake stickers on their helmets.”

This comes amid widespread initiatives meant to advocate for justice in Blake’s Sunday shooting, as well as call attention to ongoing inequities in America. Several different NFL teams cancelled training camp practice Thursday to host dialogues on social injustice, while the NBA is fresh off a postponement of playoff games — which itself initially came in response to the Milwaukee Bucks, the professional team closest to where Blake was shot, essentially striking from a Game 5 matchup to protest what occurred in Kenosha.

—CBS SPORTS