In a odd episode on Tuesday, the former New England Patriots star Rodney Harrison said Kaepernick didn’t understand the issues because he is “not black”.
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During a radio appearance, Rodney Harrison stated “I tell you this, I’m a black man”.
According to a study done past year, young black men were nine times more likely to be killed by police officers compared with other Americans. He was adopted from birth, but has a biological white mother and a black father, according to Sporting News. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way”. If Kaepernick’s white adoptive parents say he’s black, dammit he’s black.
Given Kaepernick’s background, Harrison received a healthy level of criticism for the comment that Kaepernick is not black.
“You know, I don’t think he faces those type of things that we face on a daily basis”, he added.
Harrison said earlier Tuesday that he thinks Kaepernick’s “heart is in the right place, I just think he’s going about it the wrong way”.
NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabar (born Lew Alcindor before converting to Islam and changing his name) said Kaepernick “behaved in a highly patriotic manner that should make all Americans proud”.
While non-white Americans made up only 37 percent of the U.S. population, more than 47 percent of all people killed by police belonged to a minority. Former 49er star Jerry Rice went the All lives matter route and explained, “I respect your stance but don’t disrespect the Flag”. I have never anxious that someone from another country is trying to take away my rights – the only people who are a threat to my “freedoms” come from within my own government. Presumably, since he mentioned paid leave, he is not referring to the drug dealers and gang bangers and common street thugs who are responsible for the thousands of black deaths in Obama’s hometown of Chicago since 2009, with the perpetrator of the crimes nearly always being black. “I mean, came in the house without knocking, guns drawn, on one of my teammates and roommates”, Kaepernick said. Or not black enough in his eyes.
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Rarely one to back down, Harrison took to Twitter to apologize. What black man donated money to organize the Million Man March? You know a lot of people are criticizing him. If someone doesn’t like the way their fellow citizens are being treated and they made a decision to stand up against something that is very, very wrong, then they are told to get out?
