The Players Alliance, a group of 124 current and former MLB players whose mission is "to build an inclusive culture and equitable systems in order to change the trajectory of diversity throughout baseball," announced Thursday that its players will donate their salaries on August 27 and August 28 in support of combating racial inequality.
Phillies left fielder Andrew McCutchen is on the Active Player Advisory Board of The Players Alliance. Roman Quinn is on the player committee, as are Phillies minor-leaguers Cornelius Randolph and Baron Radcliff. Jimmy Rollins is on the Former Player Advisory Board. Josh Harrison is also on the committee. Harrison was with the Phillies in camp, is currently on the Nationals' roster and spoke alongside Rhys Hoskins in a joint press conference Thursday evening.
"It's important," Harrison said of the gesture. "At the end of the day, something like that can definitely bring change (to communities). We may not be able to be there day in and day out but we have people back home that we know can get things started for us and can get things to areas of greatest need."
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SIGN UP HERE This was the full statement from The Players Alliance:
"On behalf of the more than 100 Black current and former MLB players that make up The Players Alliance, we remain unified by our mission and dedicated to making real, lasting change.
"The color of our skin is the uniform we wear every day. We cannot change that. What we can change is the pain and injustice the Black community has suffered for far too long. We are determined to use our platform to speak out, and encourage our teammates and fans to help make our voices even louder.
"Our players have collectively decided to donate their salaries on August 27 and 28 (Jackie Robinson Day) to The Players Alliance, supporting our efforts to combat racial inequality and aid the Black families and communities deeply affected in the wake of recent events.
MLB
"We cannot stand idly by and wait for change — in our game or in our country.
"We encourage our allies and fans to join us in taking action. With your support, we can and will rewrite our story, creating a more equal world we can all live in together."
The Phillies and Nationals decided not to play their series finale Thursday amid protests of racial injustice in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday. The decision was made after a players-only meeting at the Phillies team hotel shortly before the buses were getting ready to roll to Nationals Park for a 6:30 p.m. game.
Phillies players were "passionate in taking a stand" against racial injustice and equally passionate about "staying unified" as a team, a source said.