Boycott the Kaepernick blacklist

Miami: What a great piece Shaun King wrote (“I’m boycotting the NFL because of its anti-blackness,” June 6). I too, am a longtime fan (Giants), but after reading this, I too am going to boycott the NFL season out of respect to Colin Kaepernick still not being hired by any team. What is the NFL trying to tell us, the fans? It’s OK to rehire Hank Williams Jr., and we all know why the NFL dismissed him.

Other NFL players have committed atrocities and were given second and third chances. You can commit domestic violence, but you can go and get therapy for that and just miss a couple of games. You can go drinking and driving, wreck your car and hopefully not kill someone, but you can get a slap on the wrist and an ex-amount on a fine. Perhaps get dismissed for a few games.

What a joke! The NFL team owners think they are crippling this man’s career. But in all honesty, what they are doing is amputating his soul and his spirit. And for what? Because he stood for what he believes. Because here in America there is still right and wrong. And for what the NFL team owners are doing, is just that: Wrong.

Anthony Stewart Brooklyn: Shaun King’s columns are always poignant, well-articulated, and a breath of fresh air. Please relay my gratitude for the great service he provides to the public and the stellar voice he provides to the Daily News. Nathan Rosborough Denton, Tex.: I am glad that Shaun King has decided to take action. I boycotted last year. I did not boycott Colin Kaepernick; I boycotted the NFL for allowing Kaepernick to be its spokesman and state its views and policy. The 49ers are also included, as they did nothing to contain his message. I respect the right of Kaepernick to state his views. I do not think the NFL or the 49ers should have made those views their own, which they did by their silence. I broke my boycott when I realized that one person whose vague message was that he did not like “The Star-Spangled Banner” or the American flag was keeping me from enjoying football. I have Bronx: Colin Kaepernick is a grown man. He used the NFL as a platform to make a statement. I guarantee you if Shaun King decided to use the Daily News as a platform to stand up for what he believes in and it affected his employer’s bottom line, he would be out of a job. It is very simple. My father taught me this when I was a child, and maybe King might want to teach this to his 10-year-old son: You don’t bite the hand that feeds you. If Kaepernick followed the advice of his agent or lawyer and not his good friend King, he would be employed. It has nothing to do with race that Kaepernick does not have a job. Just follow the money and you will find the answer. Also, King, please stop giving black NFL players advice. The NFL would be unwatchable without them on the field. Jackson, Miss.: Just read Shaun King’s article. I’m buying a Kaepernick jersey today! Better yet, it will be a great Father’s Day gift (gotta let the kids know)! I can’t believe the Detroit Lions haven’t picked Kaepernick up! I was glad and saddened to hear that ESPN was bringing back a racially tainted Hank Williams Jr. for “Monday Night Football.” He had the best anthem, but what does it say about ESPN? Great article. Shaun deserves more exposure or a raise! Ocala, Fla.: I found this column interesting and for the most part right on the mark. However, Shaun King left out that on Election Day, Colin Kaepernick chose not to use the one thing given to every U.S. citizen — his right to vote. That, in my mind, made every protest he did last season worthless. I didn’t vote for Trump; I voted the Democratic line. By not voting, Kaepernick made it clear that he didn’t want change strong enough to take an hour out of his day to do so. Brooklyn: I’m not disagreeing with the point of this article, but people have to stop talking about how “good” Colin Kaepernick was five years ago. Look at how bad he is now! He is flat-out awful! People have to stop talking about how this guy won one NFC Championship game. It is truly meaningless. If anything, because he hasn’t been able to get back to the Super Bowl since, constantly pointing to this flash in the pan proves 2012 was an off year for the rest of the NFC and he really isn’t that talented. That being said, he definitely deserves a job ahead of some free agent scrub for a second-string spot with the Seahawks. But that’s about it. Brooklyn: The “Poppa pill” article indicated that one of Dr. Martin Tesher’s bail conditions is that “he can’t write any prescriptions for a list of drugs, including oxycodone” (June 6). How many people have become addicted/died because of his cavalier dispensing of this drug? He was caught red-handed! Why isn’t his license being revoked immediately? This should not be an “innocent until proven guilty” situation! Howell, N.J.: While I failed to see anything even remotely funny about Kathy Griffin’s so-called art piece, had she held up Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama’s head, she’d be the keynote speaker at the next Republican National Convention. Brooklyn: I have been reading the Daily News since I was 6 years old and have been a great fan of Juan Gonzalez until this article was published (“Not just a ‘terrorist,’ ” June 5). How can he believe that two wrongs make a right, stating that the supporters of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade should let Oscar López Rivera march because other terrorists have been included in parades after they committed crimes? We look to our past to correct our future. A hero is a person who saves lives, not one that plots to take them — especially if you’re stating that all you want is to liberate your country. López Rivera knew he was not innocent and he knows very well that he does not deserve this honor, but is taking advantage with the help of TIMOTHY T. LUDWIG/USA TODAY very influential people who have all lost my vote and admiration. In his 35 years incarcerated. what did López Rivera achieve or do to progress? Many incarcerated people continue to educate themselves or others and try to turn over a new leaf. This man did nothing. If given the chance, I believe that López Rivera would do the same thing again. Gonzalez is a voice for the Latino community, and we do not want to be associated with such a person. He should know better than to ever defend a person like López Rivera. Manhattan: The mayor and the Education Department crow about slapping band-aids on the lack of access for minority students to our high schools of highest academic standards. This will fail. It also reinforces racial and class stereotypes. The reality is not that minority or low-income students are unable to pass the tests, or that they need special help. It’s that the right middleschool courses are not available in their schools. It’s impossible for these students to get prepared the way more privileged students are. The cure is simple: Provide all students the courses needed to prepare for the qualifying exams. This won’t be cheap, and it won’t be quick. It would be fair, however, and honest. The failure here is not the students’. It’s the system’s. It separates not by talent or motivation, but by neighborhood and income level. This is not an issue of “diversity”; it’s an issue of plain fairness.