Race Jones
gangster. grace. alchemy
From Tom Brady’s controversial four-game ban for his part in the Deflategate scandal, to his match-winning intervention for the Patriots in Super Bowl 51 earlier, the 2016/17 NFL season has not been short of drama or controversy. One of the defining moments in this season were the protests against the national anthem, where some players refused to stand for the Star Spangled Banner ahead of games.
The trend was started by San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt for the national anthem in the third game of the NFL preseason, after sitting down for the first two pre-season clashes. The protests quickly caught on throughout the sport, and soon after, Kaepernick explained his reasoning behind the contentious protest.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is 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.”
That, however, was last season; Colin Kaepernick may have been fighting for racial justice, but he says that this season he will stand up for the national anthem, saying that, “his method of protest to detract from the positive change he believes has been created”, according to sources close to the 29-year-old from Wisconsin.
Although Kaepernick’s cause was a noble one, the timing of this announcement could very well be strategic; Kaepernick is expected to opt out of his contract with the 49ers this week, and will enter the new season as a free agent. It might be important to stand in solidarity with minorities, but Kaepernick is well aware that the negative press surrounding his protest may make him less attractive to teams looking to recruit a new quarterback next season.
Even if he no longer kneels or sits for the national anthem, Colin Kaepernick is doing his bit to help in other ways; he founded the Colin Kaepernick Foundation, whose donation of one million dollars to community organizations that help the underprivileged was matched by the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick also followed that up with monthly donations of $100,000 over a 10-month period.
With the 2017/18 season of the NFL set to get underway in early September, with the draft going down in April, Colin Kaepernick will be hoping that potential suitors will overlook his controversial protests, as well as the 49ers dismal two wins and 14 defeats last season, and take a chance on the 29-year-old quarterback.
The trend was started by San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt for the national anthem in the third game of the NFL preseason, after sitting down for the first two pre-season clashes. The protests quickly caught on throughout the sport, and soon after, Kaepernick explained his reasoning behind the contentious protest.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is 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.”
That, however, was last season; Colin Kaepernick may have been fighting for racial justice, but he says that this season he will stand up for the national anthem, saying that, “his method of protest to detract from the positive change he believes has been created”, according to sources close to the 29-year-old from Wisconsin.
Although Kaepernick’s cause was a noble one, the timing of this announcement could very well be strategic; Kaepernick is expected to opt out of his contract with the 49ers this week, and will enter the new season as a free agent. It might be important to stand in solidarity with minorities, but Kaepernick is well aware that the negative press surrounding his protest may make him less attractive to teams looking to recruit a new quarterback next season.
Even if he no longer kneels or sits for the national anthem, Colin Kaepernick is doing his bit to help in other ways; he founded the Colin Kaepernick Foundation, whose donation of one million dollars to community organizations that help the underprivileged was matched by the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick also followed that up with monthly donations of $100,000 over a 10-month period.
With the 2017/18 season of the NFL set to get underway in early September, with the draft going down in April, Colin Kaepernick will be hoping that potential suitors will overlook his controversial protests, as well as the 49ers dismal two wins and 14 defeats last season, and take a chance on the 29-year-old quarterback.
