Ben Shapiro | Aug 8, 2020 | Commentary | 2
In November 2015, three years after taking the San Francisco 49ers to
the Super Bowl, quarterback Colin Kaepernick was benched in favor of
Blaine Gabbert, a career journeyman most recently unsuccessful with the
Jacksonville Jaguars. The following preseason, Kaepernick began donning
garb designed to mock police officers, including socks with cops dressed
as pigs. He also remained seated for the national anthem during a
preseason game, claiming, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a
flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
At the time, multiple NFL players spoke out in opposition to
Kaepernick’s symbolic move: New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz
said, “You’ve got to respect the flag, and you’ve got to stand up with
your teammates. It’s bigger than just you, in my opinion. You go up
there; you’re with a team; and you go and pledge your allegiance to the
flag, and sing the national anthem with your team, and then you go about
your business.” At the time, this was a majority proposition:
Seventy-two percent of Americans thought the gesture unpatriotic,
according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Kaepernick never regained a starting role in the NFL … but his career
took off again. He signed a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike to cash
in on his supposed bravery; he cut a content deal with Disney. When he
was offered a private tryout with NFL teams, he promptly violated all
protocols and blew up the process. In June 2020, NFL commissioner Roger
Goodell urged NFL teams to sign Kaepernick anyway. On July 4, Kaepernick
tweeted: “Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized +
terrorized by America for centuries, & are expected to join your
commemoration of ‘independence,’ while you enslaved our ancestors. We
reject your celebration of white supremacy & look forward to
liberation for all.” ...........To Read More...
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