MORE POWER TO 49ERS’ KAEPERNICK FOR TAKING A STAND AGAINST INJUSTICE
Now isn’t the time to throw Colin Kaepernick under the bus as some sort of demon just because he listened to his conscience.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback refused to stand during the national anthem before Friday night’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, a not- so- subtle dig at the country and which has overshadowed a courageous social statement as Kaepernick protests perceived injustices that are near the hearts of so many African Americans and other minorities these days. More power to him. “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 Steve Wyche of NFL Network. “To me, it’s 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.”
He was obviously referring to the slayings of unarmed African Americans by police that have sparked racial tensions, protests and other forms of backlash in our nation, which has historically tilted the scales of the criminal justice system so unfavorably against minorities.
So the quarterback expressed himself in a manner that surely strikes a nerve with many people. But agree with his reasoning or not, Kaepernick was exercising his First Amendment right.
He just earned a lot of street cred, as they say, for at least taking a stand for something that he’s obviously passionate about — knowing full well that there could be a political price to pay.
Somewhere, Muhammad Ali is smiling.
“I have to stand up for people that are oppressed,” Kaepernick said. “If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett created a stir at the start of training camp when he implored his peers to make social statements and criticized big- name NFL players for their relative silence in comparison to the outspoken stars of the NBA and the WNBA, who have made their voices heard.
No player should be pressured to speak out. But what Bennett and Kaepernick have pointed out is that athletes are people, too. And citizens. The issues that are prevalent in our society — including the divisiveness, bigotry and hatred being expressed in this presidential election — also affect the players, their families and communities, too.
If a player is passionate about an issue, he or she should use their platform — and wisely.
Still, it’s striking that Kaepernick, who played his first game in 292 days Friday even as numerous injuries have left him little chance of winning the starting job over Blaine Gabbert, suddenly evokes memories of John Carlos and Tommie Smith, who protested conditions of African Americans during the grand stage of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
When I made small talk with Kaepernick in the locker room after last weekend’s preseason game in Denver, he was wearing a black baseball cap with a large, silver X in the middle — the exact hat that I wore during the early 1990s after Spike Lee’s biopic on Malcolm X was released. Kaepernick sported the same hat during his postgame news conference Friday.
That, too, was an expression. And it’s cool. Kaepernick, adopted and raised by white parents, has been growing with his self- awareness, a person familiar with his thinking told USA TODAY Sports. That could be one reason why he’s willing to make a bold statement.
Kaepernick is 28. Malcolm X was 28 when he came out of prison with an evolving self- awareness. I’m twice that old but constantly working on selfawareness. And so is this nation, which Kaepernick shone a light on in his own way.
There’s nothing in NFL policy mandating that players must stand for the anthem, as much as you know the image- conscious, corporate- backed league stands on the principles of patriotism. The 49ers haven’t admonished Kaepernick, either, recognizing the American principles of self- expression while also pointing out liberties afforded U. S. citizens.
It’s a fine line, and the Niners and NFL had surely better realize that other cases could be just around the corner as societal concerns continue to stay in the headlines — which go far beyond the world of football as Colin Kaepernick reminded us.