Blue Lives Matter group turns down partnership offer from Jets

Lorenzo Reyes | USA TODAY

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A request to partner with the New York Jets this season was denied by the pro-police group Blue Lives Matter, according to emails shared with The New York Post.

Jets senior manager of premium partnerships Anthony Bulak reached out to Blue Lives Matter founder Joe Imperatrice to pitch him on the proposal, per The Post.

“With the NFL season right around the corner, there is no better time to open up a conversation about how your business/organization can benefit from a partnership with the New York Jets,” Bulak wrote to Imperatrice on Tuesday, according to The Post, which reported that Imperatrice responded within minutes.

“Although I’d love to work with an NFL team right now I feel it is not the right time,” he wrote back. “All over the United States players feel entitled to disrespect our first responders, our military members both past and present and our flag. These players make more money in a season than some people make in a lifetime and their ‘Issues’ are made up, exaggerated, and more times than not false.

“Once again I do appreciate the offer but revenue we have could better be spent on the families of officers killed in the line of duty protecting the ignorance of these individuals rather than contributing to their paycheck.”

More: South Florida police drop ticket plan after Dolphins players protest during national anthem

Bulak tried to keep the door open and made another push for the proposal.

“I appreciate you sharing your opinion and although I can’t comment too much on it what I will say is the Jets have never had a player protest our anthem,” Bulak responded to the denial, while also attaching a flyer for the team’s First Responders Night. “The Jets have always been supportive of our police, firefighters, EMTs, etc. and will continue to do so.”

Imperatrice, however, relayed another objection.

In March, New York signed running back Isaiah Crowell, who in July 2016 posted – and then deleted – an illustration to his Instagram account of a police officer getting his throat slashed by a figure dressed in black, with the caption: “Mood: They give polices all types of weapons and they continuously choose to kill us…#Weak.”

According to The Post, Imperatrice responded and included an image of the illustration, saying: “If I am correct the JETS may have signed an individual who depicted a Grim Reaper slicing the throat of a police officer.”

The NFL is currently engaged in discussions with the NFL Players Association as the two groups search for a resolution on the league’s national anthem policy, which has seen a number of players kneel or raise a fist or remain in the locker room in protest of social inequality. Several owners, including Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, have been adamant that players be required to stand for the pregame playing of the anthem.

In May, NFL owners approved a revised policy that stipulated that players present on the sideline for the playing of the anthem must stand, or their respective teams would face discipline. The policy also stated that players could instead remain in the locker room during the anthem.

The NFL later announced in July that the revised policy would be put on hold until conversations with the players association would create an alternative solution.

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.