The Racism and Incompetence Behind the Investigation of a Church Firebombing
During Super Bowl XXXI's Media Day in 1997, Green Bay Packers Defensive End Reggie White delivered a passionate speech about the state of race relations in the United States.
"I think we have a major problem in our country that we don't want to admit and that has to do with racism," White said. "We kind of shove that aside. We shoved it aside with the church bombings. People's lives have been devastated, mainly because federal investigators have tried to indict some of the ministers, and some of the members."
White was speaking on the subject for a reason. Just over a year earlier, his Knoxville, Tennessee ministry, Inner City Church, was the target of one of those church firebombings.
That season, White—known as "The Minister of Defense"—had notched 12 sacks in 13 games for the Packers and been elected to his tenth straight pro bowl. He had also led the Packers' defensive line to their best performance of the season in the NFC divisional playoffs, a 27-17 victory over Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers.
The blast at Inner City Church came two days after the game, as the Packers prepared to take on the Cowboys for a shot at the Super Bowl. The perpetrators had placed kerosene and gasoline inside the empty church before lighting it ablaze with molotov cocktails.
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https://sports.vice.com/article/the-racism-and-incompetence-behind-the-unsolved-firebombing-of-an-nfl-legends-church
