The reactions from Colin Kaepernick’s sit-down protest continue to filter in, and the amount of people who insist on being on the wrong side of history is staggering. Even as a surge of actual veterans supports Kaep’s stance, people around the sports world continue to blast Kaepernick for nonviolently expressing his frustrations with the systemic racism against black people in America. But this latest update might be the most disheartening of all.
Several NFL executives gave anonymous quotes to Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman hammering Kaepernick and labeling him persona non grata for his protest of the flag. As Kaepernick struggles to hold the starting role in San Francisco and trade rumors have swirled, his protest may have dynamited his chances at landing on another team due to the reactionary stances of these team officials. Excuse the long blockquote, but what Freeman heard is stunning.
“I don’t want him anywhere near my team,” one front office executive said. “He’s a traitor.”
A traitor?
He wasn’t alone in the anger directed toward Kaepernick. In interviews with seven team executives, each said he didn’t want Kaepernick on his team. This is far from scientific, but I believe this is likely the feeling among many front office executives. Not all. But many.All seven estimated 90 to 95 percent of NFL front offices felt the same way they did. One executive said he hasn’t seen this much collective dislike among front office members regarding a player since Rae Carruth. Remember Rae Carruth? He’s still in prison for the plot to murder his pregnant girlfriend.
[…]
“He has no respect for our country,” one team executive said. “F–k that guy.”
Another said that if an owner asked him to sign Kaepernick, he would consider resigning, rather than do it.
There could be some executives who have no issue with Kaepernick, but I doubt there are many. Each executive said he believes Kaepernick will likely get released by the 49ers—and never play in the NFL again.
There is no demographic more likely to dislike Kaep’s position than NFL executives.
But the hatred for such a peaceful protest, when many of these executives forgive players for violent crimes, is truly depressing. We’re not sure we’ve ever heard an exec go on record to say “F–k that guy,” so of course it was anonymous. The fact that even though the officials quoted in the story are sure their position is nearly unanimous, they still refused to put their name in the story.
None of these GMs have anything to gain by anonymously blackballing Kaepernick, and their pure anger at Kaepernick’s stance is alarmingly close to the current polarization in America’s political climate. Hopefully, if Kaep is truly done with the league, the NFLPA will take up his cause and file suit, because nothing is more un-American than discriminating against a potential employee for their political views.
(Via Bleacher Report)
