TAMPA — Buccaneers star Gerald McCoy got to see what it’s like from a cop’s point of view.
“It escalated very fast.”
McCoy and several other players went through training scenarios Tuesday with the Tampa Police Department.
“It teaches that you have to make split-second decisions,” said McCoy.
The get together is the first step in the team’s new Social Justice Initiative.
The players came up with the idea after last year’s National Anthem controversy led many to turn against the NFL.
The players plan to support social justice causes around Tampa Bay.
That includes mentoring troubled kids, working with Habitat for Humanity and even helping those still in prison.
“Our players are role models and I think they have a tremendous voice here in the community,” said Buccaneers Foundation President Darcie Glazer Kassewitz.
Players say a private Q&A with TPD officials was especially important.
“Once you can understand where a person is coming from then it’s easier to understand the whole entire situation,” said McCoy.
The team is contributing a million dollars to the cause and will match player donations for another million.
“This is just the start and it’s just going to build and build and the change is just going to start to flow,” said McCoy.
