Former ESPN commentator Jemele Hill slammed the NFL for “forgetting” to mention the “blackballed” Colin Kaepernick in its Super Bowl ad announcing its earmarking of $250 million for social justice causes.
Just ahead of its Pepsi Halftime show, the NFL aired a commercial announcing the massive expenditure.
Saying “football is a microcosm of America,” the ad features images of civil rights icons mixed with clips of NFL players and staffers under the rubric of “#InspireChange.” There are also several images of players putting on helmets with the names of three blacks who died in police custody. The names include Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, and Eric Garner.
The ad ends with the announcement across the screen reading, “The NFL is committing $250 million to help end systemic racism. While the season is over, our fight for social justice is not.”
CBS SportsStill, Atlantic writer Jemele Hill was not impressed by the enormous amount of cash for social justice.
“In that Inspire Change commercial, the NFL forgot to show the part where they blackballed Colin Kaepernick, have only 3 black NFL head coaches and no majority black ownership,” she wrote minutes after the ad aired.
Colin Kapernick is, of course, the former NFL player who was the main instigator of players taking a knee during the national anthem starting in the 2016 NFL season. He has not played professional football since the end of that season. Kaepernick’s supporters, including Hill, have maintained that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been “blackballed” ever since for his protests against the country.
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