As the Seattle Seahawks decide whether or not they will sign former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a number of NFL players have started to stand up for the still unsigned NFL player. Despite having led the 49ers to two NFC Championship games and having one of the lowest interception ratios in NFL history, many fans and team owners have only chosen to pay attention to the fact that he knelt during the National Anthem during games in the 2016 NFL season. Now, players are talking about hypocrisy surrounding the situation.
Torrey Smith defends Colin Kaepernick
The most recent person to talk about what Colin Kaepernick did wrong in 2016 was New York Giants owner John Mara. When asked why the Giants didn't sign Colin to backup Eli Manning, Mara said that the fans made it clear that they didn't want someone like Colin on their team because he wouldn't stand up for the National Anthem in 2016.
This seems a little off because John Mara is the same person who stood up for Josh Brown and kept him on the New York Giants team, even after police arrested Brown for beating his wife more than 20 times, including when she was pregnant. Mara said he knew about the arrest but would only release Brown for "football reasons" and not for anything else.
That set off former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith. According to Smith, an owner like John Mara will keep a player who beats women but draws the line at someone who silently kneels down in protest during the National Anthem. Torrey Smith said he is for second chances, referencing Joe Mixon, but finds it wrong that a person who never committed a crime like Colin Kaepernick would be banished from the league for a silent protest.
Malcolm Jenkins says Colin is "genius"
While Colin Kaepernick is still out of a job, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said that the decision to kneel during the National Anthem turned out to be "genius" and "sparked conversation." Jenkins said that he thought the focus of fans would be only on Colin kneeling, and while that is still the focus for many NFL teams, it has actually started a conversation about the lives being lost across the United States.
Malcolm Jenkins also used his own form of silent protest. While Colin Kaepernick got all the attention for kneeling, Jenkins would raise his fist and hold it up proudly during the National Anthem. Jenkins said this was his way to show solidarity in the idea of opening a national discourse.
