Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, released a video in which he said, “We, the National Football League, condemn racism.”
How can any reasonable mind think the Washington “Redskins” was ever acceptable? Tear down that name, finally, now.
Major League Baseball issued a statement that read, in part, “Our game has zero-tolerance for racism and racial injustice.”
Then why does one of their teams continue to promote the racist tomahawk chop in Atlanta? It is so obnoxious that Ryan Helsley, a pitcher of Cherokee origin for the St. Louis Cardinals, protested about it.
As a result, the Braves “reduced” it but did not outright ban it.
Meanwhile, the NFL continues to permit it in Kansas City. From the paucity of African-Americans in leadership positions to the acceptance of homophobic chants at soccer games, the sports industry is riddled with repulsive symbols that must be eliminated.
Amidst all of this, there is one encouraging symbol that must be completed:
Someone should sign Colin Kaepernick.
This would be the best way for the NFL to demonstrate its devotion to the cause. This is the piece that must be called if the most prominent league in the country wants to demonstrate its connection with the country’s vital and widespread antiracist movement.
If they wish to do the correct thing, they must perform this action.
Kaepernick, of course, is the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who knelt during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police violence against black people and lost his job as a result.
He predicted the present national awakening, inspired the current social movement and was blackballed as a result.
He formerly led the 49ers to the Super Bowl and successive NFC championship games, but he has been unemployed for three years since his kneeling season.
Let Colin Kaepernick Play
He was not even granted a tryout with a single team until just recently.
With a career passing rating of 88.9, he would rank seventeenth among active quarterbacks.
He was a fading talent in his final few seasons and was eventually replaced by Blaine Gabbert, but when he became a free agency he was still capable of being a starting quarterback someplace. Even after three years of inactivity, the 32-year-old certainly possesses the necessary skills to serve as a backup wherever (and potentially more on the right team with the right coach).
Incredibly, Goodell fails to apologize to Kaepernick or even mention his name in the video in which he concedes that “we were wrong for not listening to NFL players sooner.”
It is time for the NFL to quit being wrong and do the right thing for the protesting quarterback, who has been correct the entire time.
Insufficient to pay him and his former colleague Eric Reid several million dollars to satisfy their collusion deal from last year. They owe Kaepernick far more than monetary compensation; they owe him his livelihood.
“The NFL could start by signing Kap back,” Seattle running back Carlos Hyde said to reporters this week. “If they sign Kap back, that’ll show that they’re really trying to move in a different direction. Kap was making a statement four years ago about what’s going on in today’s world, and the NFL didn’t bother to listen to him then. I think they should start by doing that.”
This mood, which has been silently fermenting for three years, is suddenly sweeping the landscape in public view.
Some believe the NFL is missing the essence of Kaepernick’s demonstrations by just signing him and assuming everything will be great. This is correct. This would in no way exonerate them. The league must do more to give players a voice and take more tangible measures to combat police violence.
There is also the thought that if Kaepernick does not play again, he will be a more effective symbol of the fight against social injustice. This also holds true. What if he struggles upon his return? What if he is injured? Given his leadership position in this conflict, he may have greater influence if he never played again.
None of that matters when one considers, by all accounts, Kaepernick wants to play again and should be given that chance.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
Escape the Act Like a Man Box | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men | Why I Don’t Want to Talk About Race | The First Myth of the Patriarchy: The Acorn on the Pillow |
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