A National Football League legend criticized Colin Kaepernick and other football players for kneeling during the National Anthem.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown said during a Thursday interview that he sympathizes with Kaepernick and wants to support him, but also feels that the former San Fransciso 49er’s player is a little misguided in his attempts at activism.
“I’m going to give you the real deal: I’m an American,” Brown said. “I don’t desecrate my flag and my national anthem. I’m not gonna do anything against the flag and national anthem. I’m going to work within those situations. But this is my country, and I’ll work out the problems, but I’ll do it in an intelligent manner.”
Kaepernick began protesting last September by kneeling while the National Anthem was playing during the pre-season as a way to shed light on the oppression of black people by America. Since then, Kaepernick has been struggling to find a job.
Brown pointed out that Kaepernick’s protests should be better organized and he needs to decide whether he wants to be a football player or an activist.
“If you have a cause, I think you should organize it, present it in a manner where it’s not only you standing or sitting on one knee, but a lot of people that is gonna get behind each other and do something about it. If I ask you one question: Who is Colin calling on to follow what he’s talking about?” Brown said. “Colin has to make up his mind whether he’s truly an activist or he’s a football player.”
The NAACP and other civil rights organizations recently protested outside the NFL headquarters in New York City to demand the NFL offer better protections for their football players who were speaking out on the job. They also called on people to stop watching football until Kaepernick gets signed.
“I don’t care how long you’ve been watching football, if they don’t stand up for your children, turn the damn TV off,” Women’s March organizer Tamika Mallory said at the rally.
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