Colin Kaepernick was one of the few athletes in this modern era to take a stance against police brutality, racial injustice, and racial inequality. He did so in a way that shocked Americans all over the United States by kneeling during the Star-Spangled Banner. His approach did not sit well with some Americans, NFL players, coaches, and executives. On the other hand, you had Americans, players, coaches, and executives who thought what he did was courageous and brought attention to what was going on in America at that time. The goal of Colin Kaepernick was to bring awareness to the shooting of unarmed black men and boys that seemed to be a pandemic in itself at that time. Colin Kaepernick was a quarterback on the San Francisco 49ers and had a very lucrative contract. So what he did was put his career on the line and, in the long run, ended his career as well.
Once Colin Kaepernick was released by the San Francisco 49ers, he was never re-signed by another NFL team again despite being in the prime of his career. People can argue that Kaepernick was blackballed by kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. When the murder of George Floyd happened at the hands of a police officer, the NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell had some regrets for not listening to Kaepernick years before this murder occurred. The commissioner realized that what Colin Kaepernick was saying had some truth and that it was changing that needed to be made to the justice system here in the United States. Roger Goodell’s mind changed so much that an ex-NFL player interviewed him by the name of Emmanuel Acho and he started doing this interview that he wished he would have listened to Kaepernick initially. The commissioner also said that Kaepernick and other NFL players were taken out of context as disrespectful to the American flag. People did not understand that they were using that right to bring awareness to an issue in society that needed to be corrected.
Commissioner Goodell has received support from most NFL teams and their executives. One of the teams who were very conservative in its values and extremely against Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem was the Dallas Cowboys. The owner Jerry Jones and his son Stephen Jones were very opposed to the actions of Kaepernick. When the shooting of George Floyd occurred and the change of heart of Commissioner Goodell, Jerry Jones came to a compromise to support the commissioner. His son Stephen Jones is extremely against kneeling and standing during the national anthem. Stephen Jones has publicly made it known that he does not support Colin Kaepernick in any fashion. Stephen Jones is the Cowboys Executive Vice President and COO, so he is a very influential individual inside the organization and an owner of the organization. He is not at odds with his father or Roger Goodell, but he himself will not support Kaepernick. Stephen Jones also stated in an interview that he respects everybody’s decisions and every organization’s decisions. He realizes that everyone deals with things differently and has their own opinion about certain situations.
