MSNBC host Al Sharpton rejected the NFL’s apology for “not listening to its players” and demanded that the league “give Colin Kaepernick a job back.”
Speaking at the funeral of George Floyd in Houston, Texas, Sharpton brought the NFL into his remarks saying NFL chief Roger Goodell’s recent address to the players’ concerns about racial injustice was an “empty apology.”
At the funeral that turned into a political rally, Sharpton went on the attack saying, “The head of the NFL said, ‘Yeah, maybe we was wrong. Football players, maybe they did have the right to peacefully protest.’ Well, don’t apologize, give Colin Kaepernick a job back.
“Don’t come with some empty apology,” Sharpton exclaimed. “Take a man’s livelihood. Strip a man down of his talents. And four years later, when the whole world is marching, all of a sudden you go and do a FaceTime, talk about you sorry. Minimizing the value of our lives. You sorry, then repay the damage you did to the career you stood down, ’cause when Colin took a knee, he took it for for the families in this building. And we don’t want an apology. We want him repaired.”
Since Floyd’s death during an arrest in Minneapolis, many activist voices have resumed calling for Kaepernick’s reinstatement to the NFL. But thus far insiders say no team or coach has been moved to reverse their stance against the player now more famous for his protests against the country than his playing ability.
Still, the NFL has already reportedly begun to buckle under the onslaught of activists calling for the league to reverse its ban on allowing players to protest against the country during the national anthem. One wonders how long it will be before they buckle in the face of calls to re-sign Kaepernick.
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