Inked Mag Staff
July 2nd, 2020
Houston Texans Kenny Stills Got a Huge Black Lives Matter Tattoo
What do you think about this NFL player's ink?
If you’re not tuned in to all things NFL, let me give you some background on Kenny Stills. Stills attended the University of Oklahoma, playing for the Oklahoma Sooners from 2010-2012. After 2012, he decided to forgo the remainder of his college career in order to pursue football professionally in the NFL.
Stills was selected in the fifth round by the New Orleans Saints in the 2013 NFL Draft. In March of 2015, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins and in September of 2016, he began kneeling during the national anthem alongside teammates Jelani Jenkins, Arian Foster and Michael Thomas. In August of 2019, Stills was traded to the Houston Texans, where he currently plays.
Stills is the son of fellow NFL player, Ken Stills, who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1985-1989 and the Minnesota Vikings in 1990. His uncle, Gary Stills, also played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, St. Louis Rams, Las Vegas Locomotives and Omaha Nighthawks.
Like many NFL players, Stills has shown his love for tattoos and has collected a number of largescale pieces—including full sleeves and a chest piece. On July 1st, Stills revealed a brand new tattoo by Austin artist Nathan Herbert. The tattoo is an homage to the Civil Right’s movement of the last century, as well as the current Black Lives Matter movement. Stills has been a vocal supporter of BLM, not only by kneeling during the national anthem but by attending protests. Many people flocked to social media to show love for Stills’ new tattoo, including fellow NFL star Odell Beckham Jr, who commented: “I wish I had more roooom!”
While Stills is the only (that we know of) professional athlete to get a tattoo that says “Black Lives Matter,” many have gotten artistic homages to Civil Rights leaders. Take a look at some of the biggest stars in sports who’ve gotten tattoos to represent the Civil Rights movement in the gallery below, then let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments section on social media.




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