The uproar caused by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees last week after he indicated those who protest during the national anthem are showing disrespect could lead to widespread protests during the 2020 NFL season.
Drew Brees protest comments, Donald Trump’s reaction
The future Hall of Fame quarterback has since backtracked from his original stance, apologizing multiple times in the process. He also responded to President Donald Trump after the latter called the quarterback out for apologizing.
All of this has led to renewed debate over the Colin Kaepernick-led protests that started back in 2016. But unlike four years ago, there’s a growing number of players who support said protests weeks after the murder of George Floyd.
Will the NFL engage in national anthem protests this season?
New England Patriots star running back James White went on record Thursday indicating that his team will certainly engage in said protests.
“I’m sure we’ll figure something out as a team,” White told reporters, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I’m not sure exactly what that will be, but I’m sure guys will peacefully protest in some type of form or fashion.”
If the Patriots are hellbent on protesting racial inequality and police brutality, I am sure this means it’s going to be a major aspect of the 2020 NFL season.
2002 Presidential election, NFL season, President Trump and the protests
Coincidentally enough, the Kaepernick-led protests started months before Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election. This will now be a major backdrop as Trump seeks reelection against presumptive democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Support for the Black Lives Matter movement is at an all-time high right now. In the sports world, that includes a previously less-than-progressive organization in that of NASCAR eliminating a rule that banned protests. It’s the same organization that just recently banned the Confederate flag at events and saw one of its top stars show support for the protests ahead of a race Wednesday night.
Trump was able to capitalize on the protests four years ago, calling out Kaepernick and Co. in a big way. Now that support for the protests have grown, it could play a major role in the election.
Robert Kraft has a relationship with Donald Trump
The backdrop in New England is Kraft’s relationship with the president. It’s been blown out of proportion by the mainstream media. Said relationship is personal in nature and does not include Kraft supporting the president’s policies. In fact, the Patriots’ owner had in the past donated to Barack Obama’s campaign.
It seems highly unlikely that Kraft will go out of his way to prevent Patriots players from protesting this coming season.