The US National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league made mistakes in not listening to players in earlier fights against discrimination.

Goodell made the remarks on Friday in a video denouncing racism in the U.S., as the country continues to see widespread protests following the death of an unarmed black man during arrest last week.

“We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest,” Reuters quotes Goodell from the video. “We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter.”

The NFL has been embroiled in a debate with players over kneeling protests during a customary pre-game playing of the national anthem. The practice was popularized by quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who is black, in 2016 to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

Kaepernick, who in 2013 led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl but lost to the Baltimore Ravens, filed a grievance against the league in 2017, claiming collusion as no teams signed him after he parted ways with the Niners. The NFL and Kaepernick settled in 2019.

“Protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff,” said Goodell. “I will be reaching out to players who have raised their voices and others on how we can improve.”

George Floyd died on Monday last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck. However, the video didn't show how the confrontation started.

After several minutes of the police office pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos. The protests have now spilled outside the U.S., with demonstrations staged across many other countries around the world.