Redskins lineman Ricky Jean-Francois isn't the type to be afraid. He speaks his mind, even on sensitive topics unrelated to his job as a football player.

Jean-Francois tackled issues gripping America the past several weeks, specifically Black Lives Matter and police killings, in an interview with Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman. Instead of typical athlete-speak, Jean-Francois took several hard, polarizing stands that are sure to offend someone somewhere.

On Black Lives Matter, police brutality and the slaying of Dallas officers:

• "I hear about Black Lives Matter, and I understand why that is. But I don't care about the black lives part. I care that every life matters. We are having our sons and daughters die. We are having police officers die. You put a bullet in someone's head, you are taking them away from friends and family. That's all that should matter.

"One of the things that needs to be done is that more people have to look at things from the other person's perspective. How would you feel if that was your brother or sister shot to death? And put yourself in the position of the police. You shoot the police or hate the police—they are the same people who will run into a burning house to save you, or expose themselves to danger to save you."

• "Racism is just stupid. What makes me different from you? My skin color? That's it? I walk like you, bleed like you. We are the same."

• "The rest of the world is laughing at us. They see all this violence and all these killings, and they are laughing at us. The shootings and the killings have to stop."

On athletes speaking about social issues and their role in the national dialogue:

• "There's no line to tread for me. You have to be yourself at the end of the day. You have to say what you feel. [Muhammad] Ali said what he felt, and all athletes should do the same.

"I know some athletes are worried about losing their jobs or having fans come after them for speaking out. Things are so bad right now, we should all be speaking out. Every professional athlete should be talking about this. How will things change if we don't speak out?"

• "Before I became a professional athlete, I was just like you. I can express any opinion I want. I can express an opinion on things that affect my life. I live in the same society you do. The trees bloom and the water is wet in my world, same as yours.

"As athletes, we are your neighbors, your friends. We're not just athletes. We're part of America. We can express any thoughts we want."

On the views inside the Redskins locker room:

• "We're like every team in the league. We have people from all over the country—different regions of the country and different races. Everyone will have different opinions about all of this. There are going to be a lot of discussions."