Via NFL.com: Forty Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick has willingly and knowingly immersed himself into controversy by refusing to stand for the playing of the cherished National Anthem in protest of what he deems are wrongdoings against African Americans and minorities in the United States.
His refusal to stand for the anthem came before the 49ers preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium.
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“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the gameagainst Green Bay.
“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
“This is not something that I am going to run by anybody,” he said. “I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. … If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”
Kaepernick said that he has thought about going public with his feelings for a while but that “I felt that I needed to understand the situation better.”
He said that he has discussed his feelings with his family and, after months of witnessing some of the civil unrest in the U.S., decided to be more active and involved in rights for black people. Kaepernick, who is biracial, was adopted and raised by white parents and siblings.
Funny. If being awarded a multi-million dollar contract after only a single good season only to be replaced by the backup quarterback the following year is what he considers to be oppression, then where do I sign up to be oppressed?
Of course, he’s overlooking the many successful black people there are in America to highlight incidents where career criminals have resisted arrest and been shot and killed by police. Perhaps a better message for him to send to his fans would be to not be involved in a criminal lifestyle to begin with, and maybe they too can end up on an NFL field making a complete fool of themselves in front of millions of people.
Then again, that message wouldn’t earn him praise from the social justice warriors. What a pity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXV7jgfMvUU