With the world has been talking about before the rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia and United States President Donald J. Trump was the state of Colin Kaepernick.
Will Colin Kaepernick play in the NFL this season?
Last NFL season, Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the playing of the U.S. national anthem. He did it to shed light on Eric Garner, Philando Castile and others who were murdered by police officers.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL network’s Steve Wyche during the NFL’s preseason last year.
“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.”
Kaepernick would later kneel after the National Anthem was played during games.
Two-time NBA Champion, Craig Hodges weighed in on a recent episode of Scoop B Radio. “He might get an opportunity, but if he is not in somebody’s training camp I don’t think he will play again in the NFL because out of sight out of mind, Craig Hodges told Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
“And in the sport, unlike basketball where you might be able to sit out twelve months and still be able to come back and play, but the question becomes in that twelve months: “Is anybody even going to mess with you anymore?” Because they already said you are obsolete because you have been twelve months away from the game.”
Hodges was blackballed by the NBA after he handed a letter to former U.S. President George H.W. Bush during the Bulls’ championship visit to the White House. The letter made President Bush aware of the mistreatment of poor people and people of color in the United States. “I did whatever I could to uplift the cause of our people man, said Hodges.
Kaepernick, who led the San Francisco 49ers to an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII, was in a contract year when took that public stance last season. Now an NFL free agent, it seems that nobody is willing to take a chance on him as even a backup in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins are said to have had interest, but they’ve since moved on.
Kaepernick’s refusal triggered other athletes like the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, Houston Rockets’ Chris Paul, New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and Chicago Bulls’ Dwyane Wade and WNBA players to become vocal about police brutality of minorities.
In a preseason game this past weekend, Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch sat on a Gatorade cooler while the national anthem was played.
