- NFL encouraged players to protest peacefully last week
- President equates kneeling during anthem with disrespect
If the NFL thought the debate on peaceful protests was over, it was mistaken.
Last week, amid widespread protests over police brutality against black people, the league issued an apology for not listening to its players’ concerns over racism in the United States. In the statement, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would now “encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest”.
Could it be even remotely possible that in Roger Goodell’s rather interesting statement of peace and reconciliation, he was intimating that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL, or not to stand, for the National Anthem, thereby disrespecting our Country & our Flag?
Related: The NFL did the unthinkable: it gave Donald Trump the middle finger
To @realdonaldtrump Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been. We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities. We did this back in 2017, and regretfully I brought it back with my comments this week. We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial & prison reform. We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history! If not now, then when? We as a white community need to listen and learn from the pain and suffering of our black communities. We must acknowledge the problems, identify the solutions, and then put this into action. The black community cannot do it alone. This will require all of us.
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