Colin Kaepernick Is A ‘Traitor,’ According To Some NFL Elites
Colin Kaepernick is a “traitor,” according to at least one anonymous NFL general manager, as reported by Bleacher Report, and there’s more than just one amongst the NFL’s top people speaking negatively about the NFL quarterback.
Kaepernick’s refusal to honor America by standing for the National Anthem, a pre-game tradition practiced by all professional American sports, has sparked controversy throughout the country. While some have shown support for Kaepernick’s form of protest, others have expressed ire.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman reports that seven NFL elites, including the person who said Colin Kaepernick is a “traitor,” are disgusted with his decision to sit out during the National Anthem.
“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.”
Freeman goes on to say that all seven front office elites who were interviewed claimed they believed that “90 to 95 percent” of others in their position within the NFL feel the same way about Colin Kaepernick as they do, and they don’t expect him to be playing for the 49’s, or even for the entire NFL league, in the near or not so near future.
“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.”
According to Freeman, one of the elites insisted that he would rather willingly step down from his position as team executive than give Kaepernick a chance to play for him.
Freeman says he also doesn’t believe the quarterback will be seen on the field for much longer for the reason that many people both inside and outside the NFL seem to believe Colin Kaepernick is a traitor and, in Freeman’s words, “un-American.”
“‘In my career, I have never seen a guy so hated by front office guys as Kaepernick,’ one general manager said.”
Freeman personally believes that the executives are being far too harsh on Kaepernick because he believes it’s the quarterback’s right as an American to peacefully protest the flag.
“Personally, I think the dislike of Kaepernick is inappropriate and un-American. I find it ironic that citizens who live in a country whose existence is based on dissent criticize someone who expresses dissent.”
There is at least one group of people who agree with Freeman and don’t believe Colin Kaepernick is a traitor, and they expressed their stance on Twitter with the hashtag #VeteransForKaepernick.
Army veteran from Minnesota explains #VeteransForKaepernick movement. https://t.co/rERCkbWSPQ pic.twitter.com/5fjvPVTG9W
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) September 1, 2016
The reasoning behind the support #VeteransForKaepernick stands for is the fact that he has the right, under the Bill of Rights, to freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to protest, both of which are inherently American in nature.
Vibe reported on August 27, the same day Kaepernick first sat out during the “Star-Spangled Banner,” that the reasons for his protest were because he didn’t feel he should show respect for a country that oppresses blacks.
In 2015, he started advocating for social justice issues and human rights via social media, where he expressed his passion for human rights, his support for Black Lives Matter, and his dislike of racism.
Colin Kaepernick wore socks portraying cops as pigs during training camp. https://t.co/AeMejeMXM5 pic.twitter.com/vOKmdTpZCQ
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) September 1, 2016
Some Americans might believe Colin Kaepernick is a traitor because of his admiration for Black Lives Matter, a group that some right-wingers view as a domestic terror organization.
Fox News reported that recently the football player was seen wearing a shirt with a photo of Fidel Castro, the man who ruled Cuba and oppressed his own people for dozens of years.
“During a Sunday news conference about the flag flap, Kaepernick dressed in a black hat with a large, white ‘X’ and a T-shirt that featured photos of Cuban despot Fidel Castro and Malcolm X.”
Fox News Latino has reported that Cuban Americans are not happy with Kaepernick for wearing a shirt that seems to show admiration for Castro.
Jose “Pepe” Hernandez of the Cuban American National Foundation, which is anti-Fidel Castro in nature, had plenty to say about Kaepernick’s protest of the flag and the National Anthem.
“He said it was ridiculous that the NFL player linked his causes for civil rights to a person who has oppressed his people for more than 50 years. Castro, Hernandez said, has caused ‘numerous deaths, disappearances, imprisonment of people and separation of families so there is no understanding Kaepernick’s thought process.'”
As we now know, Hernandez isn’t the only person who doesn’t understand the reasons behind Kaepernick’s actions. A top NFL figure thinks Colin Kaepernick is a traitor to the United States, and considering everything else Mike Freeman learned from these elites, there are many more who agree with this line of thinking.
[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
