Colin Kaepernick isn’t too impressed with how the NFL has jumped on the Black Live Matter bandwagon. Kaepernick, who has been blackballed from playing since he initiated kneeling protests against police brutality, says the organization’s social justice message is fake and mere propaganda.
Kaepernick recently called out the NFL team owners for blackballing Eric Reid while simultaneously spewing support for BLM. Reid is a fellow player who knelt with Kaepernick and spoke out against racial injustice.
“While the NFL runs propaganda about how they care about Black Life, they are still actively blackballing Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) for fighting for the Black community. Eric set 2 franchise records last year, and is one of the best defensive players in the league” Kapernick tweeted on Sept. 13.
Reid, 28, has been one of the top agents in the NFL. He started every single game for the Carolina Panthers last season and had 130 tackles and four sacks, MEAWW reported. Yet no team is willing to sign him. This, Kaepernick says, is because Reid spoke out for the Black community. Kaepernick has been there. He hasn’t played as a quarterback for an NFL team since 2016 after kneeling during the national in silent protest against police brutality and starting a movement.
Reid recently blasted the NFL for using Kaepernick’s image during its video messages about social justice despite the fact that no team will sign Kaepernick. The marketing was “diabolical,” he said.
Reid tweeted that commissioner Roger Goodell “has gotten comfortable” saying he was “wrong” not to listen to players about social injustice “as if his mere acknowledgment reconciles his admitted wrongdoing. He hasn’t even called Colin to apologize, let alone reconcile, proving this is only PR for the current business climate,” ESPN reported.
Reid added that “Goodell uses video of Colin courageously kneeling to legitimize their disingenuous PR while simultaneously perpetuating systemic oppression, that the video he’s using fights against, by continuing to rob Colin of his career. It’s diabolical.”
When Kaepernick was still in the NFL, Reid joined him in the kneeling protests. They were both members of the San Francisco 49ers at the time. Reid has remained critical of the NFL. In 2017, Kaepernick and Reid filed grievances against the NFL, alleging they were unsigned because owners collaborated to keep them out of the league over the kneeling protests. The league reached a private settlement with the two 2019, CBS reported.
NFL fans seem to be on the side of Reid and Kaepernick.
One fan tweeted, “Kap I beg you to get Black players together and start a Black National League. If Black players don’t get how they don’t respect you, you’re ONLY here for WHITE entertainment & profit! If anyone can start it, it’s YOU!”
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Party’s sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.
Another posted, “So much respect for you both. Using your platform to keep raising awareness! Keep strong, stay vocal!”
And yet another wrote, “Layers. With the few characters on Twitter, I’ll just say that I’ve got so much respect for how Colin and Eric have each other’s backs as friends and peers. It’s consistent and relentless and, in a climate like this, that’s extremely admirable. Salute.”
