“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he explained to reporters at the time. He had also engaged in a deeper understanding of his own background. Kaepernick’s bold decision to use his platform to give a voice to the voiceless came on the heels of a slew of African Americans, such as Tamir Rice and Michael Brown, being fatally shot by police officers. After a conversation rooted in mutual respect with former Green Beret turned NFL hopeful, Nate Boyer, Kaepernick quickly reverted to kneeling.
In August 2016, he was caught on camera sitting during the national anthem, his first rendition of a peaceful protest. It’s been more than three years since Kaepernick last played in the NFL.
Yet despite the NFL’s best effort to erase Kaepernick from the history books on Super Bowl Sunday (and every other day) his treatment both permeates the league and transcends it.
It’s the league’s biggest opportunity to hide its many stains. The Super Bowl is supposed to be a national party, a raucous, lighthearted event consumed with family and plenty of food.
