SEATTLE -- Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll shared a letter Thursday on social media calling for "a renewed commitment to empathy" as we "live in the midst of a cultural transformation."
Carroll says technology has made it so easy for us to be distracted that we may be "unaware of where we find ourselves in terms of social and interracial development."
Gone are the days of ignoring the social injustice that's been happening in this country, he says.
Carroll continues calling for "A New Empathy" in which Americans learn from past mistakes and look at the world with "a fresh sensitivity and awareness."
Carroll admits this won't be easy, but asks everyone to "build bridges instead of walls."
Read the full letter below:
Anthem protests
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NFL says players on field must stand for the National Anthem
NFL says players on field must stand for the National Anthem
The Seahawks are known for being vocal about social issues.
Earlier this month, Carroll and several players discussed the NFL's new mandate that players on the field stand for the national anthem.
Carroll, his players and those around the league are now trying to figure out how to tackle the polarizing topic in the locker room.
"We're going to have to deal with that," Carroll said. "I was kind of liking the way it was going and so now it's kind of taken out of the control from the coach and the players and the locker room to a certain extent, so we're going to have to deal with that. In time, we'll figure it out."
Doug Baldwin had the most striking comments, directed at both the league and President Donald Trump after his remarks to "Fox & Friends" on Thursday saying "maybe you shouldn't be in the country" if you don't stand for the anthem.
"He's an idiot. Plain and simple," Baldwin said. "I respect the man because he's a human being first and foremost, but he's just being divisive, which is not surprising. It is what it is. But for him to say anybody who doesn't follow his viewpoints or his constituents viewpoints should be kicked out of the country is not very empathetic. It's not very American like, actually, to me. It's not very patriotic. It's not what this country was founded upon. It's kind of ironic to me the President of the United States is contradicting what our country is really built on."
Even normally reserved quarterback Russell Wilson agreed with the sentiment that the owners' decision was a message to players to essentially be quiet.
"Pretty much. I think that's part of it. It seems that way," Wilson said. "But I think a policy right or wrong is not going to fix our problems."