With the media buzzing like it is, many are familiar with the recent chaos surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. However, for those of you just making it to the party, we can quickly recap!
Kaepernick began kicking off the NFL preseason by refusing to stand or participate in the Nation Anthem, telling an NFL reporter,
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. 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.”
We know, pretty heavy stuff! Well, to no surprise, this evoked a mass outpour of angry comments made from fans, as well as high ranking celebrities such as Kid Rock, who halted his concert to directly give the quarterback a big “F you, Kaepernick!”
While many anticipated that such a negative response would encourage Kaepernick to do some serious damage control, he stood strong and continued through his protest, even recruiting various players from other football teams to join his fight!
Now, back to current times! Pop icon Justin Timberlake, having previously partaken in a heated online banter regarding a tweet in light of actor Jesse Williams’ uplifting words at the BET Awards, shared his thoughts on the ongoing matter. Timberlake starts with,
“It’s a free country.” Go on…
“…I think sometimes we have a way of using symbolism to judge people and when you get down to the matter of it, it’s a free country. Anyone can feel the way they feel and make a statement. I can’t speak to his employers. That’s a whole other issue. I can’t speak to that. That’s a whole other issue and I wouldn’t even touch that. But we’re in an interesting place right now.”
That we are! With a topic such as this, things are sure to get heated within a matter of time. While Kaepernick says he will continue to stand for what he believes is right, there is no telling how long this conflict will linger, as well as what will be done to fix it.