One of the big stories going around the sports world right now is about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaeperknick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem prior to last Friday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.
On Monday Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, one of the more thoughtful and outspoken players in the NFL, was asked about Kaepernick’s stand. Here’s an excerpt of what he said:
Richard Sherman on Colin Kaepernick from Everett Herald on Vimeo.
Here’s the entire text of what Sherman had to say on the subject:
“I thought that was interesting. Obviously what he meant to do, what he meant, was in a good place. He wanted to make a stand. Any time you don’t stand during the national anthem people are going to criticize it. That’s the unfortunate part of it. You can’t ever stand against the flag and things like that. A lot of people sacrificed for things like that. But there is also a deeper meaning to what he did. He’s talking about the oppression of African Americans in this country, and that has been going on for a long time.
“I think a lot of the focus has shifted away from his message and shifted — to some people rightfully so — to him taking a stand against the nation, etc. I think there’s also things in this nation people need to remember and take heed of and also acknowledge. This is the same country that had ‘Whites’ and ‘Colored’ signs on the bathroom. We’re still in that country, we’re still in that nation and that needs to be acknowledged and that needs to be changed. There’s people with that mentality that still exist and that needs to change. There’s people who still treat people of color with subjectivity. They treat them in a certain way, they categorize them, they put them in a certain category, there’s certain statistics that are put out there to make sure police profile certain people in certain neighborhoods and that needs to change.
“So there is some depth and some truth in what he was doing. I think he could have picked a better platform and a better way to do it. Every day they say athletes are so robotic and do everything by the book, and when somebody takes a stand like that he gets his head chopped off.”
Sherman was then asked about comparing Kaepernick to Muhammad Ali’s refusal to be inducted into the army and fight in the Vietnam War.
“Muhammad Ali not going to fight the war, he sure was viewed very similarly at that time. As time went on and people understood his message and what he was standing for, the feeling towards it changed. Obviously [Kaepernick] is an American and he thinks America is as great a nation as anyone else or else he wouldn’t be living here I’m guessing. But he also understands the trials and tribulations he goes through as an African-American male in this country. People say, ‘Oh, he has all this money so he doesn’t have to deal with these problems.’ Well, all the money in the world can’t buy you freedom, it can’t change your skin color, it can’t get your family out of that. Not only do you have to deal with it, your family has to deal with it, your kids have to deal with it. It’s unfortunate, and I think people need to take a step back and acknowledge that, acknowledge that there were wrongs in this country. There were people getting hosed down in the street and dogs stuck on them for standing up for what they believed in, and that’s unfortunate.
“And at the same time you have to honor your country, you have to believe. I think football is a tremendous asset, but it could also be kind of a model for what it means to be a team. Me and [offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell] were talking earlier today and he was like, ‘Ever since I was a kid when I first started playing or coaching, when you play football you’re not concerned about if you’re throwing to a black guy, white guy, orange guy, Asian guy.’ You’re concerned about getting the ball there, executing your job, winning. You’re concerned about playing for the next guy, playing for your brother. I think that’s something the nation can take from sports. The Olympics were also a great example of how in different countries everybody comes together and nobody’s sitting there saying, ‘I’m not going to run against this guy because he’s black, white, orange, blue.’ They’re running to compete for their nation, to win. They don’t care what color the guys on their team are, they’re supporting them, they’re supporting their country, and that’s the way it should be all the time, regardless of circumstance. I think it will be a long time before we get there, but hopefully we’re trending in that way. “
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