Nearly two weeks ago, Richard Sherman highlighted the importance of white quarterbacks speaking up right now regarding racial and social injustices after George Floyd, an African American man, died in Minneapolis police custody. At the time, 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo hadn't spoken up publicly.
“I’m impressed with the white QBs speaking up because those are voices that carry different weight than the black voices for some people,” Sherman said to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. “Which means the people who refuse to listen to a black athlete’s perspective will hear the same thing said from a white athlete, but receive the message much differently.
"So it’s awesome that more people are speaking out, because in sports, you really have a love and appreciation for your fellow man, regardless of race."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Behind closed doors, however, Garoppolo has been vocal on 49ers Zoom calls regarding how they will respond to worldwide protests stemming from the death of Floyd and many others. A source told The Athletic's Matt Barrows that Garoppolo has been one of the most talkative of a group that includes Sherman.
“I haven’t had many of those experiences,” Garoppolo said to Barrows. “But I think learning and hearing from other people -- teammates, especially -- people that you have a personal relationship with. When you talk about that with people, it hits deeper and has more of a meaning behind it.
"And I think that’s a huge part of it.”
[RELATED: Why Jimmy G wasn't bothered by 49ers' Brady discussions]
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The 49ers are donating $1 million to local and national organizations committed to social change. That's a good start, but writing checks isn't enough. It sounds like the 49ers will be using other outlets as well.
No matter what the 49ers decide to do as players, Garoppolo said it will be a team decision.
“We’re approaching it as a team, instead of just doing it as individuals,” Garoppolo said. “I really like it. It’s crazy what’s going on in the world right now. And I think it’s really about people learning and educating themselves on everything that’s going on. Because once that happens, then the process can really begin.
"And so we’ve been talking about it, and a lot of guys have some ideas we’ve thrown around. Hopefully, we’ll finalize it (soon).”
[49ERS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]