Posted by Uofa2 on 6/10/2020 11:59:00 PM (view original):
Posted by DougOut on 6/10/2020 7:22:00 PM (view original):
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick says he refused to stand during the national anthem Friday because of his views on the country’s treatment of racial minorities.
“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 Mediaafter Friday’s game. “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.”
The 49ers acknowledged in a statement that Kaepernick sat on the team’s bench during the national anthem before their game against the Green Bay Packers.
Doug thought this helped his point.
Since I'm probably the only 49er fan (at least on this thread) who was following the team when this happened, I feel like providing context.
Kaep had been told before the game that he had lost the starting job to, of all people, Blaine Gabbert. He slouched on the bench and pouted during the national anthem (conveniently ignored by the media). He didn't kneel, he didn't take a respectful stance based on religion (like Chris Jackson). He just slumped with his arms along the back of the bench, like a high schooler sleeping on the bleachers.
Once he was confronted by this lack of respect, his girlfriend pushed him to make it about black rights. I heard this from a black friend of the girlfriend, so take it for what it's worth. What he's done since then has wavered between soapbox activism (which isn't bad, on its own) and anti-cop rhetoric (the infamous socks)...
Is he better than many backups right now? Possibly, though the layoff will almost definitely hurt his biggest liabilities... accuracy and learning to read defenses. Is he so much better that he overcomes the hassle (and fan backlash) of a divisive activist..? That's for each owner to decide. Put it this way, rapists and abusers have been kept on rosters, but mainly from the star players.... rarely, if ever, has a backup with potential baggage been kept.