It’s time for an NFL team to sign Colin Kaepernick
Roger Goodell apologized and never mentioned Colin Kaepernick.
Which is the equivalent of the NFL commissioner saying: ‘I’m sorry but not really sorry.’”
Because he can’t talk about Kaepernick. Legally, that doesn’t make sense.
What Goodell should have said was that he was sorry he didn’t understand or respond appropriately to Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality in America, and that under non-legal circumstance — like, I’m going to sue you — he should have urged teams in his league to sign the quarterback.
Goodell and so many others — the most recent being Drew Brees — stretched the Kaepernick nationalanthem protest into something it wasn’t. It was never about the U.S. flag. It was never about the U.S. army. It wasn’t anti-american. It was about racism and the way in which police in America treated black men and women, then and now.
And the Kaepernick knee seems more important today, in the wake of the unnecessary murder of George Floyd.
In his 90-second statement, Goodell said he will reach out to players who have “raised their voices” and “will encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest.” This from a league that hasn’t allowed players to write messages, political or otherwise, on equipment.
“Without black players, there would be no National Football League,” said Goodell.
“And the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality, and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff.”
The kind of silence and oppression that Kaepernick was taking a knee to expose.
Goodell and NFL owners, and a whole lot of American society, turned the other way from Kaepernick, misrepresenting his thoughts, misunderstanding his protest, and he lost his football career because of it.
He took a knee. Goodell now apologizes to everyone but the quarterback who deserves the apology.
THIS AND THAT
There has been so much poignant commentary from professional athletes lately that sport should be applauded for the small part it has played — and should continue to play — in the ongoing protest against racism and police brutality. And while all the words and statements and opinions are wonderful to see and read on social media, I’m not certain what they can accomplish in the end. I’m not black and I can’t pretend to know what it is to be targeted or hated strictly for the colour of my skin. But I’m angrier right now than I’ve ever been before. And I don’t know when that will end. We can’t solve police brutality with words and statements and Twitter posts. That can bring us together, but that’s just a beginning. Since the killing of Floyd, we’ve seen other sickening incidents. We’ve seen other problems. Police have to solve this. Police have to change. Civic leaders have to solve this. Mayors have to solve this. The police have to do better policing themselves. If that doesn’t change, very little will. And that, too, makes me angry … Time was you could file Patrick Kane and Tyler Seguin on the list of immensely talented, but troubled problem hockey players. Just not anymore. Hearing them this week, reading them this week: Boy, have they have grown up … Simple advice for everyone: Carry your cellphone. Carry it everywhere. If you see something wrong, record it. If you think there’s something wrong, record it.
Without the gruesome video of the Floyd murder in Minneapolis, there are no protests around the world. The Black Lives Matter campaign would be silent. In this new world, we are all journalists now. We saw the Floyd strangulation, the police car door smashing a man in Nunavut, the Quebec man pulled from his car by his dreadlocks. All of it disturbing. Without cameras, those stories rarely make the news. Keep recording, all of us. Until there’s nothing left to record … This happened just the other day in North Carolina. A retired pro hockey player, an African-american,
was golfing and, in his cart, had to cross a street to get to the next hole. As he waited in his cart, a car drove by, and from the car a man yelled out a racist comment to the golfer, who was stunned to hear those kind of words considering the current climate.
AND ANOTHER THING
This NHL season is in jeopardy. We’re not sure how next season will work. Which means when the winter of 2022 comes around, you can pretty much be certain there will be no NHL participation at the Winter Olympics in China. Which means, you probably won’t see Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Drew Doughty, Patrice Bergeron, Alex Ovechkin in the Olympics again. And, boy, do I wish that wasn’t true … With the Miami Heat now the winner of its division in the NBA, that means an additional $400,000 for Toronto’s Kelly Olynyk, who had winning the Southeast Division as a bonus in his contract … Yes, there is racism in Canada, but I have had numerous conversations over the years with Africanamericans in the Canadian Football League who wound up making Canada their home after they retired because they found the culture so welcoming.