Kaepernick has drawn a mix of criticism and praise since it was noticed that the backup quarterback did not stand during the national anthem Thursday night during an NFL preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder”, he said to reporters after the game.
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He spoke with the media yesterday about why he did what he did, and he’s absolutely NOT backing down (you can read that entire transcript here).
Kaepernick says he has no plans to stand and salute, at least not yet.
“It’s no one’s fault if they don’t understand”, he said.
An image if the 28-year-old sitting – he is wearing number 7 – was posted on Twitter.
Capitalizing on the opportunity afforded by Colin Kaepernick’s high-profile protest of the song Friday, progressives are decrying the beloved song as racist and calling for its removal as the national anthem because of a line in the lesser known third verse (which isn’t officially included in the national anthem). What’s really going on in this country. “I think it’s a awful thing”, Trump said. “I’m sure the coaching staff will be talking to us later this week about it”. “I’m going to speak the truth when I’m asked about it”. “I am not looking for approval”.
Taking a slightly different angle, the Guardian published a story giving Kaepernick extra cudos for the move because he hasn’t been playing well, saying that only makes his protest “all the more courageous”. “To me this is something that has to change”, he says. And they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. At this point, I’ve been blessed to be able to get this far and have the privilege of being in the National Football League and making the kind of money I make and enjoy luxuries like that …
“No one’s tried to quiet me, and you know, to be honest, it’s not something I’m going to be quiet about”, he said today during a media availability.
This takes guts, whether you’re with him or against him.
Here’s what he said Sunday during almost 18 minutes of questions. People praised Muhammed Ali when he passed away for being an athlete who used his powerful platform to talk about social change – forgotten was how scorned he was by large segments of (white) America when he did so.
Then Theismann, who played some of his professional football career during the Reagan Administration, responded to comparisons between Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan.
Kaepernick, a former starter who led San Francisco to the 2013 Super Bowl but has since been demoted to backup, said he sat on the bench during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to make a statement about racial injustice in the United States. “But after Kap stated his case and seeing where he comes from, I stand with Kap”.
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In other news, a day before the primary election in Florida….
