RALLY AND A HuDDLE
Midtown march backs Kaepernick as NAACP seeks to meet commish
SUPPORTERS OF COLIN Kaepernick went on the offensive on behalf of the jobless quarterback on Wednesday.
Hundreds of protesters crowded the sidewalks outside the National Football League’s Park Ave. headquarters in Midtown to voice their anger over what they say is the systematic banishment of the 29-year-old.
Kaepernick finds himself without an NFL job after he began kneeling during the national anthem before games last season.
Protesters at the “United We Stand” rally, organized by the NAACP, sang, chanted and called on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to intervene.
Kaepernick, who played six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, remains unsigned after opting out of his contract with San Francisco.
“What’s happening to him is wrong and needs to be rectified,” said Kaepernick fan Kyle Bennett, 47. “He’s been blackballed out of the league. Now that he’s out they decided they aren’t letting him back in. Basically the message is to other players, this could happen to you too.”
Speakers at the rally included Rep. Gregory Meeks, Councilman Jumaane Williams and activist Linda Sarsour.
The demonstration was timed to coincide with a letter sent by NAACP interim President and CEO Derrick Johnson to Goodell requesting a meeting about Kaepernick.
Johnson said in the letter that it was “no sheer coincidence” that Kaepernick remained unemployed after gaining widespread attention last year for quietly kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Kaepernick has said he started his silent pregame protest ritual to draw attention to racism and police brutality.
Goodell’s office has said Kaepernick’s actions did not violate the league’s code of conduct.
A spokesman for the NFL said they had not yet received Johnson’s letter and that organizers of the United We Stand Rally Coalition “declined the opportunity to participate in the meeting we were looking to set up.”
The rally comes four days after a group of retired and active cops, including legendary NYPD whistleblower Frank Serpico, banded together in Brooklyn to say they have Kaepernick’s back.
Outside the NFL offices on Wednesday, demonstrators held signs in support of the veteran play-caller and shared their frustrations.
“I think that Colin Kaepernick represents a larger moment in our country,” Sarsour told the Daily News. “People are using any platform they can to stand up against racial injustice.
“We’re asking the NFL to sign him and to institute a policy that protects the freedom of speech and protest for all players,” she added.