Justin Morrow has won two Supporters’ Shields, one apiece with the San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC. He also helped Toronto win MLS Cup in 2017, was part of three Canadian Championship-winning teams and has four caps with the US men’s national team.
But the left back's proudest moment from a professional career that began in 2010 occurred just last week.
That’s when Morrow, executive director of Black Players for Change, helped to organize a powerful protest before the MLS is Back Tournament opener between Inter Miami and Orlando City. While that game marked the return of professional men’s soccer in the United States, it also gave dozens of Black players, coaches and executives the chance to come together after weeks of shining the spotlight on racial inequities.
“When we got together for the first time as a group of players, there was so much energy there. And for me, it felt really cathartic to be a part of it,” Morrow said during a Tim & Sid talk show. “So to be a spearhead in this process has been really fulfilling for me, to make sure that I’m doing my part to help make the change.”
In his leadership role, Morrow outlined how the BPC goes far beyond words or statements about the Black Lives Matter movement. There's a broader collective of MLS players who are channeling their pain and outrage after George Floyd's murder into positive outcomes.
“Days after that, if not hours, we were able to get a significant number of guys together talking about the same things — do we feel supported by Major League Soccer? Are we happy with the way our representation is throughout the league in executive positions and coaching positions? What more can we do than just put out statements,” Morrow previously said.
For more from Morrow on the conversations across MLS and what comes next, check out the entire story here.
