President Barack Obama offered some support for Colin Kaepernick and his non-violent protest against police brutality in America.
The White House issued a statement last week in response to Kaepernick refusing to stand for the national anthem during NFL games, calling it “objectionable” (more on that here).
Obama, speaking with reporters in China, had a different take than the one expressed by his press secretary (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).
“In terms of Mr. Kaepernick, I’ve got to confess that I haven’t been thinking about football while I’ve been over here and I haven’t been following this closely, but my understanding, at least, is that he’s exercising his Constitutional right to make a statement. I think there’s a long history of sports figures doing so. I think there are a lot of ways you can do it. As a general matter, when it comes to the flag, and the national anthem, and the meaning it holds for our men and women in uniform and those who fought for us, that is a tough thing for them to get past, to then hear what his deeper concerns are. But I don’t doubt his sincerity, based on what I’ve heard. I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. And if nothing else, what he’s done is he’s generated more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about.”
President Obama also lauded Kaepernick for his Kaepernick for his “active citizenry,” saying he’d “rather have young people who are engaged in the argument than people who are just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all.”
This is, of course, a stark contrast to the view that presidential hopeful Donald Trump has taken on the matter.
https://twitter.com/mckaycoppins/status/770350999068344320
While Kaepernick’s initial decision to sit on the sidelines did not sit well with many, he has changed the minds of at least some of those people since then.
This is in part to a nearly 20 minute question-answer session that occurred the Sunday after the big news broke in which he explained his stance on police brutality in detail (watch here).
Also, Kaepernick has been joined by teammate Eric Reid, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane and soccer player Megan Rapinoe in his protest. Additionally, rather than sitting, he and Reid have chosen to kneel, thanks to the advice of former Green Beret Nate Boyer.
Kaepernick is not going to please everyone right now, but he is starting to gain some support from people in high places.