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By Tim Lacy, Special to the AFRO
Colin Kaepernick has assumed the guise of a Roman Soldier. He has thrown himself upon his sword.
As a futile effort to bring a semblance of equality to the landscape of American racial relations, Colin chose to kneel during the National Anthem before football games. This action proved to be more than a distraction. With racial turmoil being all but ignored, the actions of a high profile athlete served to get butts out of their seats and served notice to the establishment that, “Hey! We see what’s going on.” This had the desired effect until it was dubbed a movement, and then the crap hit the fan.
Colin lost his job, and became the victim of a silent boycott among team owners. There is a claim that there is no boycott, but we suffered through a season of mediocre play by quarterbacks who weren’t qualified to carry Colin’s shoes. Despite the fact that a few teams called him in for a look, he remains jobless and the need for a seasoned quarterback is still out there. If his action to kneel during the Anthem hadn’t caught on among so many players and teams, maybe things would be different. However, team owners seem to treat this like a revolution.
El Presidente found this to be the perfect opportunity to weigh in and distract from some of his current faux pas. In a public forum, he uttered his favorite phrase. He decided it would be cool for the owners to address the kneeling players with, “You’re fired!” Despite the fact that this made no sense, it couldn’t be ignored without some discussion since it came from the President. All it did was pour fuel on the fire.
The NFL, in the interest of finding a compromise, decided that players could remain in the locker room during the Anthem. This encouraged our fearless leader to turn away from the issues facing our nation long enough to utter, “Throw them out!” This action will only serve to dilute the product.
The new NFL policy included fines for players who protested on the field, but again, just more fuel.
All Pro Michael Bennett (proving that he isn’t just a dumb jock) expressed his feelings in his book “Things that make white people uncomfortable.” Eagles Linebacker Chris Long called attention to the fact that the NFL issued a policy that only showed a tendency to cave in on this subject.
As far as fines are concerned, New York Jets owner Christopher Johnson stated that he will pick up the tab for all fines directed at his players. These are a few high profile examples of unrest among the players that is spreading like a volcanic lava flow.
My suggestion is, ignore Trump before it’s too late! Sit down at the table with players, listen to their feelings and genuinely try to help resolve the issues that they’re bringing to the world’s attention. This issue is a snowball now, but will soon turn into an avalanche. Let common sense drive the conversation.
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