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Kendrick Bourne was one of the latest NFL players to take to national protests, as the San Francisco 49ers receiver took to a protest in the Bay Area to show support for action against racial injustice.
Bourne has been active on both his Instagram and Twitter as of late, showing support for the “Black Lives Matter” movement and sharing media from protests all over the country.
In a video that Bourne shared, the 49er speaks to a crowd and shares his thoughts.
“I wanted to give my two cents, use my platform, that’s my biggest two cents today. I’ve got to put myself out there, I might be the one to make other players put themselves out there, so I just wanted to appreciate y’all. Man, everybody coming together, I’ve seen the fliers so I wanted to come out and put my support in.”
After attending Eastern Washington, Bourne went undrafted ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft before being signed by the 49ers.
After bringing in 16 catches and 257 yards his rookie season in Santa Clara, California, Bourne has become a consistent weapon for the 49ers, totaling 845 yards and nine touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Taking a Knee, Shouting Out Colin Kaepernick
In a separately recorded video that Bourne posted, the 49ers receiver leads the crowd of protesters in a kneel and a raised fist, shouting out former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“Colin Kaepernick, man, shout out to him, man. Go Niners. You know what it is.”
Kaepernick famously protested against racial injustice in 2016 by sitting and kneeling during the playing of the national anthem at NFL games. Since leaving the 49ers the following offseason in 2017, Kaepernick has remained a free agent with minimal interest and offers from NFL teams.
Bourne also mentioned his faith and belief that recent events will lead to change, and that his life has changed because of the 49ers’ run to Super Bowl LIV as well as protesting.
God is will, keep the prayer up, man. Everything’s going to change. No doubt, I love to see this man. This is the biggest thing I’ve ever done, I’ve never talked in front of more people than this, just changing my life. Going to the Super Bowl, everything, and I’m using my platform now to help everything that’s going on.”
Additional Comments from Bourne
Further on in his speech to the Bay Area protesters, Bourne went on to talk about his happiness in seeing the protests around California and elsewhere.
“With all the stuff that’s been going on, man, it’s really scary out here. Keep the faith, you know change is going to come, I know it’s going to come. Using my platform to help put it out there, retweeting everything I see.”
“I love the Bay, all the protests going on everywhere, keep it up, stay strong. Black pride, man, you know what it is.”
Utilizing his platform has become a consistent thing for Bourne. He currently has somewhere around 40,600 followers on Twitter and 203,000 followers on Instagram.
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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, MT. Follow and reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier.
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