NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell broke his silence on the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick Wednesday by saying he is not a fan of the quarterback’s protest against racism and police brutality.
According to USA Today via the NFL Network, Goodell said he doesn’t “necessarily agree” with Kaepernick’s protest:
Well my personal thoughts are … I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don’t live in a perfect society. We live in an imperfect society.
On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that. I think it’s important to have respect for our country, for our flag, for the people who make our country better; for law enforcement, and for our military who are out fighting for our freedoms and our ideals.
These are all important things for us, and that moment is a very important moment. So, I don’t necessarily agree with what he is doing. We encourage our players to be respectful in that time and I like to think of it as a moment where we can unite as a country.
And that’s what we need more, and that’s what I think football does — it unites our country. So I would like to see us focusing on our similarities and trying to bring people together.
Players have a platform, and it’s his right to do that. We encourage them to be respectful and it’s important for them to do that.
I think it’s important if they see things they want to change in society, and clearly we have things that can get better in society, and we should get better. But we have to choose respectful ways of doing that so that we can achieve the outcomes we ultimately want and do it with the values and ideals that make our country great.
Two NFL players have so far followed the San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s lead in kneeling before the national anthem: teammate Eric Reid and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane.
Outside of football, women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe took a knee during “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and rappers J. Cole and Trey Songz wore Kaepernick’s jersey during separate performances in solidarity with his protest.
President Obama has even commented on the media firestorm, saying he doesn’t doubt his sincerity, and that he believes Kaepernick “cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. If nothing else, he’s generated more conversation about issues that have to be talked about.”
