In a recent interview with the Daily News, ESPN writer and commentator Jemele Hill says that original anthem protester Colin Kaepernick is “never going to play in the NFL again.” A reality which, she says, should be “embarrassing” for the NFL.
The outspoken ESPN journalist gave the interview ahead of her appearance at Ozy Fest — a festival of food, music, and speeches — that will take place later this month in Central Park.
Hill told the Daily News, “He’s never going to play in the NFL again. It’s disappointing, it’s disheartening and if you’re the NFL, you should feel very embarrassed by that.”
The former SportsCenter host claims the source of the NFL’s “embarrassment,” should be the league’s apparent decision to bar Kaepernick, while inconsistently punishing players who actually commit criminal acts.
Kaepernick began protesting against the national anthem at the beginning of the 2016 season. He has been out of football since he walked away from his contract with the 49ers at the end of that season. Since then, the former 49er has reportedly received interest from the Baltimore Ravens and the Seattle Seahawks, though he signed with neither team. Despite that reported interest, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL alleging that the league’s owners had colluded to keep him out of the NFL.
Hill continued:
‘It wasn’t some crime (Kaepernick) did to somebody, it wasn’t hurting another person,’ Hill told the Daily News. ‘It was using his right as an American citizen to call out some of the ills and atrocities in this country.’
Regardless, she noted that Kaepernick is ‘already in the history books.’
‘He’s got an exhibit in the Smithsonian,” Hill said. “He’s going to have streets and schools named after him.’
Hill believes there will eventually be a “softening” in a few decades, and that people will look back on Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem the same way history remembers Muhammad Ali’s refusal to serve in Vietnam.
‘After seeing what happened in Vietnam and how Ali’s career and activism further blossomed, people now say, ‘Oh, he made the right decision. That was great!’’ Hill said. ‘People want to wait until they’re proven right to actually say something is a good idea.’
To those who say she should “stick to sports,” the unabashedly liberal commentator says that “Sports is not a shield from the real world.”
Hill explains, “There’s no corner in America we can really go and not be bothered unless you’re watching cartoons all day, but that’s not real life. People act like this is some kind of new phenomenon where we’re going through a phase of talking about sports and politics, or sports and social issues, when that’s literally been the case with sports always.”
That claim is very debatable, or at least in need of serious qualification.
While there have been flash points in history where sports and politics have momentarily intersected (Jesse Owens raising a fist to Nazi Germany, John Carlos and Tommie Smith raising a fist for the Civil Rights movement in 1968) it’s very debatable that there’s ever been the daily drumbeat of political advocacy in sports media, the likes of which we see on ESPN today. Where one could literally turn on the television and have nearly as high an expectation of an seeing ESPN reporter bashing President Trump, as he would have seeing that same reporter talk about the Yankees.
Moreover, we’ve never seen an athlete -activist such as Colin Kaepernick before. Despite Hill’s analogy between Kaepernick and Ali, it’s important to note that Ali never brought his protest into the ring. Yes, he was politically outspoken on civil rights and the war in Vietnam. However, he never burned a draft card in the ring or denounced the government using Howard Coselle’s microphone. Colin Kaepernick turned the sports venue itself into a forum for protest. Something which is different, and casts doubt on Hill’s assertion that Kaepernick, like Ali, will be remembered favorably.
Not to mention the fact that Ali was protesting a war, and Kaepernick is protesting the police. As long as most Americans believe the police are good, with only some bad officers. And not bad, with only a few good officers. It’s unlikely that the quarterback who once wore “pig socks” will be remembered favorably.
Hill will appear at Ozy Fest on July 22nd, where she’ll share the stage with Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Handler, and numerous other liberal celebrities.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn