Colin Kaepernick meant kneeling to honor black lives. He should play again in the NFL
With the murder of George Floyd, hundreds of thousands in this nation and worldwide have protested police brutality and their use of excessive deadly force. Mr. Floyd’s murder prompted emotional comments of sadness and at times, confessionals from many concerned individuals.
Locally we heard the Minnesota Vikings’ Eric Kendricks’ emotional plea about the city of Minneapolis. A confessional was conveyed by ex-Fresno State basketball coach, David Fizdale, who lamented that he wished he had been stronger in support of Colin Kaepernick’s solemn act of taking a knee to spotlight the police killings of black men, women, and children.
The act became a political minefield when the president called those who knelt S.O.Bs, impugning their patriotism. I then began to ask hundreds of my fellow Fresnans, both Republican and Democrat, if they raise their daughters and sons to join the volunteer armed forces at age 18. Of yet, I have not had a respondent say yes. I call this hypocritical or fake patriotism.
The personal use of deadly force in the murder of George Floyd has resurrected the Black Lives Matter movement. Furthermore, the issue of Colin Kaepernick exploded back into the public discourse when the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback, Drew Brees, said he could never support players taking a knee.
Brees explained that his grandfather and father were veterans who fought for the ideals for which the flag stands. Throughout the NFL, black players condemned Brees. His new teammate, Malcolm Jenkins, posted a video excoriating his quarterback, and ended by saying “F--k You, Drew.” Many others posted similar emotional criticism, stating that their grandfathers and fathers also had fought for that flag and its meaning. This led Drew Brees to post a lengthy, sincere apology.
One must remember that one of these wars was World War II, which was fought by Americans to preserve the four feedoms: freedom of worship, freedom of the press, freedom from want, and freedom of speech. Taking a knee is one of our basic freedoms for which black, white, Hispanic, native American, and Asian Americans fought and died.
The murder of Mr. Floyd led to this upheaval in sport and to the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, with the acquiescence of the owners, to issue a statement that they were wrong to condemn players for kneeling during the national anthem. Given this, I suggest that Drew Brees show his contriteness by leading a movement to reinstate Kaepernick.
An ex-student of mine who played quarterback at the University of Minnesota, Tony Dungy, stated the same possibility and said that Kaepernick can still play at the NFL level. Just think about Muhammad Ali, who was racially forced out of boxing for four years but returned to win boxing championships.
Colin Kaepernick took a knee for all the black men, women, and children murdered by police. Millions of people throughout the world are taking a knee for George Floyd by marching in unity, chanting “No Justice, No Peace.” Mr. Floyd’s murder has led many voices, once silent on Black Lives Matter, to speak or act with their checkbooks. Michael Jordan has pledged $100 million to social justice organizations, and Nick Cannon produced a George Floyd “I Can’t Breathe” dramatic video. The rapper Common and John Legend followed suit with an inspirational video.
One must remember that Kaepernick initially sat on the bench when the anthem was played. A white fellow pro and Iraq War veteran, Nate Boyer, explained to Kaepernick that on the field of battle, when a fallen comrade is buried, his fellow warriors take a knee out of respect for such a solemn occasion. Kaepernick, with many of his family in the military and in policing, recognized that Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Sandra Bland, and many others are, in a way, fallen soldiers in a war against racism and therefore should be recognized by the solemn act of taking a knee.
The American flag is a symbol of free speech, and we all should take a knee at every opportunity as a silent, peaceful, and solemn act until police killings are put to an end. The flag flies at half-staff for solemn occasions. George Floyd’s murder, or in Fresno, the police shooting of 16-year old Isaiah Murrietta-Golding, should be a solemn occasion for all of humanity.