Quinn says raised fist in anthem isn’t a protest, ‘it’s an awareness’
MIAMI GARDENS — In a call for racial equality, new Dolphins defensive end Robert Quinn said he demonstrated during Thursday’s national anthem to inspire unity.
Quinn raised his right fist, as he did with the Rams last season, while teammates Albert Wilson and Kenny Stills knelt during the anthem before their preseason game against Tampa Bay. For the first time since coming to Miami in an offseason trade, he gave an extensive explanation of his message.
“Everyone’s brought up the word ‘protest’; it’s not a protest,” Quinn said. “It’s an awareness. I think the word ‘protest’ kinda segregates this country. This country preaches freedom and unity, and that’s all I’m trying to do is preach freedom and unity. Some people can take it and mis-word it, and it comes off in different ways.
“If you believe in something, no matter the consequences, you stand by it. I want heaven here on earth. I believe we preach too much negativity throughout this whole world . ... The way people word things can come off wrong.”
Meanwhile, Stills called on the NFL to acknowledge a widely held belief that its owners are deliberately keeping quarterback Colin Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid out of the league because of their political stances. When asked what needs to change in order for him to feel like kneeling is no longer necessary, Stills pointed to the fact that Kaepernick and Reid remain free agents despite being good players.
“What would it take? It would take a lot,” Stills said. “But I think a good first step for us as a league would be acknowledging what they’re doing to Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid. You can’t say as a league that you support
the players and the protest and then blackball the players that initially started the protest.
“If you want to ... talk about solutions, we need to start there as a league. Then we can start drawing up solutions to some of these other problems.”
Kaepernick, 30, has been out of the league since 2016. He played 12 games that season, completing 59.2 percent of his passes to go with 16 touchdowns against four interceptions for a 90.7 passer rating. He also rushed for 464 yards.
His passer rating ranked 19th in the league that season and would have been 18th last year.
“He believes in what he believes in,” Dolphins running back Frank Gore said in May. “I feel that he should be on a team and that he can play. I feel like the quarterback position is probably the least talented position in the NFL. I think with me playing with Colin, I think that he should be in the NFL.”
Reid is similarly an accomplished player in his prime who remains unable to find a team.
It appears there is no market for a 26-year-old former Pro Bowl safety who had been a full-time starter his entire career until now.
Quinn reiterated several times that he thinks too much negativity is directed toward the players who have demonstrated during the national anthem and their intentions have been mischaracterized.
He also kept returning to the phrase “bring heaven on earth” to describe his goal, which he explained as, “That means you love your neighbor like you love your mother, your brother, your father; when you look at someone struggling, you help that person because you’re doing great in life; you treat someone as if the person is your lord and savior.”
When asked if he will continue to raise a fist all year, he appeared to indicate that he would by saying, “I’ve been doing it for a long time.” Stills has been kneeling the last two seasons, and Wilson said he would be doing so “from here on out.”
All three players are in the clear with the NFL, which is temporarily not enforcing its policy that all players must stand or remain out of sight during the anthem. It’s never been clear whether an action like Quinn’s would result in discipline under the new rules.
When asked if he considers himself a patriotic person, Quinn quipped, “I pay taxes. I figure that’s pretty patriotic,” then made it clear he meant no disrespect to anyone affiliated with the military.
“It is a free country,” he said. “I’m just holding a fist up for unity. But words can make it seem differently.”
Quinn hasn’t said much about his personal beliefs since joining the Dolphins and did not coordinate his demonstration with Stills and Wilson.
The anthem situation has been challenging for Miami, but there hasn’t been any indication that it’s caused a problem in the locker room over the last two years.
Dolphins coach Adam Gase said last week he would not give his players any instructions regarding the anthem.