The NFL Finally Condemned Racism, But It Appears Kaepernick’s Apology Got Lost In The Mail

nfl racism

The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has finally admitted that the league made mistakes in not listening to players like Colin Kaepernick when they spoke out about police brutality in the past.

The clip was posted in response to a video made by a number of black NFL players, who happen to be some of the league’s most prominent players. Throughout the video, players asked the league to release a statement condemning racism and the systematic oppression of black people, admitting that they were wrong in silencing players for speaking out and acknowledging that black lives matter.

In response to the clip, Roger Goodell released a video statement quoting the video’s request word-for-word, with an additional statement on his (and the league’s) stance on the current situation.

“We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest,” Goodell said in the video. “We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter.”

Noteably, Roger Goodell didn’t mention Kaepernick in the video despite the fact that he made headlines back in 2016 for starting the movement of kneeling during the US national anthem as a peaceful protest against police brutality and racism.

 “I am not going to get up to show pride in a country that oppresses black people and people of colour,” Kaepernick said to the New York Times at the time. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Following Kaepernick’s original protest, the NFL had originally banned players from kneeling during the anthem. However, this has since been reversed. At the time, Roger Goodell personally issued a statement confirming that teams would be fined for any player who does not “stand and show respect” for the flag.

Naturally, fans flocked to the comments to call bullshit on the video, demanding that the league, and Goodell personally, apologise to Colin Kaepernick and re-hire him.

https://twitter.com/meenaharris/status/1269045264561565696

https://twitter.com/CamilleLarou/status/1269041590242283522

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