USMNT and Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards has detailed how he continues to fight against racism each and every day.
[ MORE: 2022 World Cup schedule in full ]
Richards, 22, and his father spoke in-depth to LX News for Telemundo’s new eight-part podcast series, My New Favorite Futbolista, and discussed growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, his experiences in the U.S. and Europe and using his platform to fight racism.
The FC Dallas product, who moved from Bayern Munich to Crystal Palace in the summer, revealed he reaches out to players on social media who receive racist abuse and said he often receives abuse for wearing a shirt which states “Stop Being Racist!” on it.
“That’s the one shirt no matter where I go I make sure it’s clean and I don’t lose it,” Richards said with a smile. “That’s the favorite t-shirt I have... It’s crazy how furious people get from a t-shirt which says stop being racist. I get texts on my DMs still, all the time, saying ‘only black people think racism is still alive’ or ‘how can you say racism is still alive when this, this and this is happening.’ I also got one that said ‘why don’t you fight for a different cause? Racism will always be there.’ I don’t even know how to answer that.”
https://art19.com/shows/sports-uncovered/episodes/2f3695f5-adab-4e16-b5a6-74fe38c4468c
USMNT uniting against racism
His fellow USMNT teammate Mark McKenzie, plus NYCFC’s Chris Gloster, also feature in the show as they discuss the fight against racism and how players in the U.S. men’s national team are using their platform to push for change.
“Everyone needs support. As tough as they may seem, everyone needs support,” Richards added. “Mark McKenzie is a big one for me. We have a lot of the same beliefs and we both want to fight for the same stuff and we always lean on each other for advice, for support, for jokes, for anything. He’s definitely somebody I consider as family.”
I am proud to stand alongside @MarkMckenzie4 @chris_gloster and so many others in the fight against racism in soccer. Thank you to @JUANPABLOANGEL for helping us tell our story on #MyNewFavoriteFutbolista: https://t.co/8RdwqJoaDk pic.twitter.com/6doiRkzLIE
— chris richards (@eastmamba) November 2, 2022
Chris Richards is expected to be part of the USMNT’s World Cup squad in Qatar later this month and this interview allows us to get to know the extremely talented center back on a really personal level as he continues to fight against racism.
Below you can watch and listen to the amazing show hosted by legendary Colombian forward Juan Pablo Angel and LX News’ Eric Alvarez.
.@eastmamba has a simple message: "Stop Being Racist!"
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) November 1, 2022
Get to know the @USMNT and @CPFC defender on #MyNewFavoriteFutbolista with @JUANPABLOANGEL: https://t.co/jGJ63qE7Pk pic.twitter.com/vQtejQaqNY
