D-backs mull sitting out in protest; Lovullo says listening not enough

Hours before the afternoon game against the Colorado Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks players were debating about whether or not to play.

The D-backs are considering following the suit of many other teams throughout the NBA and MLB and striking to protest police brutality following the recent shooing of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.

It started with the Milwaukee Bucks boycotting Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs before the rest of the NBA teams still playing in the Orlando bubble joined in. WNBA players also decided against playing.

Next came the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds, who came together and chose not to play Wednesday night.

The D-backs played Wednesday night when some other teams decided not to. As of 1 p.m. Thursday, they were debating playing.

Closer Archie Bradley told media in a Zoom press conference that no decision had yet been made.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said the organization will support the players’ decision.

“This is a player-driven initiative and we will support whatever the players decide to do,” Lovullo said. “Right now at this point we haven’t had any information come from the players that they’re thinking one way or another.”

Even if the D-backs don’t strike or boycott, Lovullo said they would not go silent on the topic.

“To me there’s not just one way to tackle this solution. I am still trying to get to that point of view where I can do something to make a difference,” he said.

“… I feel like the education I’m getting is second to none. … This is very important to me and I don’t know where this is going to take me, I don’t know, but I want to make sure I just don’t listen anymore and relate and say, ‘Wow, I’m sorry.’ That’s not good enough anymore.”

The game is scheduled to begin at 3:10 p.m. at Chase Field.

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