Several years ago, Colin Kaepernick put his NFL career on the line when he decided to protest
police brutality during the national anthem. By taking a knee during The Star-Spangled Banner, Kaepernick (a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers) sent shockwaves throughout America, forcing NFL fans to think about the horrors of racial inequality and police brutality while trying to enjoy a game of football.
For years, NFL teams refused to hire Kaepernick because of the controversy surrounding him, despite his skills as a quarterback. However, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder last year, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had changed his tune and is now expressing his regret that he didn’t listen to Colin Kaepernick’s protests when they began all those years ago.
“I wish we had listened earlier, Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to,” Goodell told former NFL player Emmanuel Acho during his Sunday appearance on Acho’s YouTube series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.”
“What our players are doing is being mischaracterized,” Goodell added. “What they were trying to do is exercise their right to bring attention to something that needs to get fixed. That misrepresentation of who they were and what they were doing was the thing that really gnawed at me.”
Most NFL teams are working with Goodell to make the game more inclusive and supportive of all Americans. However, the Dallas Cowboys are struggling to deal with the issue. While the team’s owner, Jerry Jones, has striven to reach a compromise regarding the protests and standing during the national anthem, his son does not want to let Kaepernick win.
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