The Minnesota Vikings announced Friday that the family of George Floyd will be in attendance at U.S. Bank Stadium for the team's regular-season opener Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
Floyd's family will be recognized following the performance of "Lift Every Voice And Sing", known as the Black national anthem, which will be played prior to kickoff Sunday, according to the team's statement.
In June, the Vikings announced an endowment for the George Floyd Legacy Scholarship with an establishing gift of $125,000 by the Vikings Social Justice Committee. The team also announced a $5 million donation to social justice causes throughout the U.S. The distribution of funds will be determined in part through collaboration with Vikings players who are part of the team's social justice committee.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed in May while in custody of the Minneapolis Police Department. Floyd's murder sparked outrage and protests across the country and sports world throughout the summer against police brutality, systemic racism and social injustice.
A number of Vikings players attended Floyd's memorial in Minneapolis.
"I think it was something that we collectively as a group understood, especially having the dynamic of our locker room, that we wanted to show up," Vikings running back Alexander Mattison said at the time. "We're a team that people in this community look up to and look at in Minnesota, especially in Minneapolis."
Vikings players will wear custom T-shirts before the game with "Be the Change" written on the front and the names of 200 individuals who have been killed by acts of racism or police brutality on the back. Players also have the option of wearing NFLPA-issued shirts that have "injustice against one of us is injustice against all of us" written on the front and "end racism" on the back.
