Megan Rapinoe praises Colin Kaepernick, who is 'still banned from the NFL'
On Tuesday, news broke that the NFL is hosting a workout for Colin Kaepernick to showcase for NFL teams.
On Monday, soccer star Megan Rapinoe criticized the NFL for “effectively” banning the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback while praising him for his leadership in social activism.
Rapinoe, the Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner at this year’s World Cup, thanked Kaepernick as she received the “Glamour” Woman of the Year Award at a ceremony in New York.
‘Colin Kaepernick is still effectively banned’
.@mPinoe acknowledges activist and football player @kaepernick7 in her epic #GlamourWOTY Awards speech https://t.co/Nv5zXf37lk pic.twitter.com/3Gv9TNMJpS
— Glamour (@glamourmag) November 12, 2019
“While I’m enjoying all of this unprecedented and, frankly, a little bit uncomfortable attention and personal success in large part due to my activism off the field, Colin Kaepernick is still effectively banned — still banned from the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of known and systematic police brutality against people of color, known and systematic racial injustice, known and systematic white supremacy,” Rapinoe said.
Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016 as he’s been the focus of controversy over his decision to kneel during pregame renditions of the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality.
He filed a collusion grievance against the NFL that he has since settled, accusing team owners of working together to keep him unemployed despite his established ability as an effective NFL quarterback.
Rapinoe joined Kaepernick’s movement
Rapinoe has joined Kaepernick in kneeling during the anthem and has also declined to sing when it’s played before soccer games. She explained to Yahoo Sports over the summer that she feels compelled to draw attention to the cause Kaepernick has led.
“I haven't experienced police brutality, or racism, in that way,” Rapinoe said. “But knowing that it obviously happens, and knowing that it's a very real thing, and that there's something I can do to lend to that movement, or lend to those voices, or to support them, that's important.”
She continued to champion that cause and Kaepernick on Monday.
“It would be a slap in the face to Colin and to so many other faces, not to acknowledge, and for me personally, to work relentlessly to dismantle that system that benefits some over the detriment of others, and frankly is quite literally tearing us apart in this country,” Rapinoe said.
Kaepernick’s scheduled workout Saturday comes with a lot of unanswered questions — most notably whether a team will actually give him a legitimate look.
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