Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame through an NFL fan who praised his efforts to get rid of the need for justice and racial equality.
Bob Birkett, a Vermont resident, told Nancy Armour of the United States.Today, he read the Hall of Fame nominee’s rules that “anyone” can nominate someone for consecration, leading him to send a letter to Kaepernick in June.
“They gave him a raw deal for so long,” he told Armour.”It’s a bit like (Muhammad Ali refuses to serve in Vietnam).The initial reaction was: “Holy heaven, what a terrible thing.”Then, a little later, it’s like, ‘Dude, this guy had guts.'”
Birkett said the recent amplification of the Black Lives Matter motion after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others, as well as Jacob Blake’s recent police shooting in Wisconsin, were a reminder of why Kaepernick began to kneel.the 2016 national anthem.
“Racists devote all their time, power and effort to killing black people,” Birkett said.”The time has come to let this go. I hope it happens.I hope we’re making progress. I just hope anything can happen.”
His letter, in which he asked Kaepernick to be included as a key contributor to the game that, just for its functionality on the field, read in part:
As an advocate for racial equality, I have the pleasure, privilege and duty to appoint Mr. Colin Kaepernick.M.Kaepernick showed exceptional courage in highlighting the destructive effects of racial injustice on other black people and our society as a whole.because the knee-knee posture has created a hard symbol for those who are oppressed in our society.”
Wisconsin’s 32-year-old home has been out of the NFL since March 2017, when he resigned his contract with the Niners and filed a collusion lawsuit against the league and its owners for refusing to work, which was resolved out of court in February 2019.
Kaepernick explained his resolve to kneel before NFL Media’s STEVE Wyche in August 2016.
“I’m not going to stand up to show the pride of a flag of a country that oppresses other black people and other people of color,” he said.”For me, it’s bigger than football and it would be self-centered.looking the other way. There are corpses on the street and other people who are paid a license and get away with it.”
After failing to help the motion four years ago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a recent interview with Emmanuel Acho of Fox Sports that the league would “help” those who protested the 2020 crusade and presented no risk of punishment.
The normal season is scheduled to begin on September 10 when the Kansas City Chiefs receive the Houston Texans.
Kaepernick would be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2022.