NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
It’s been four years since Colin Kaepernick took a knee and incited a movement. And he still doesn’t have a job.
The NFL never stood up for Kaepernick’s right to protest after league owners reportedly worked together behind closed doors to keep him from gainful employment. On Friday, commissioner Roger Goodell finally addressed the issue in a video message and admitted he was wrong not to “encourage all players to speak out and peacefully protest.”
For some, it was too little too late. Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson told NBC10’s John Clark that the players felt “ambushed” after Kaepernick’s banishment. They were attacked verbally and called not patriotic. They were made to feel as if protesting wasn’t allowed.
“I feel like when we tried that time [to protest social injustice] it got ambushed,” Jackson said. “We got called sons of bitches, and we got talked about disrespecting the flag, and that wasn’t our nature. That wasn’t our intent and I think that players got alienated when they tried to keep standing up for that.”
Malik Jackson in Eagles team meeting said he felt players protest during anthem was silenced by NFL
“We got ambushed, got called sons of bitches. Players got alienated”
“We want to keep talking about it this time and not be stopped”
Roger Goodell now says
“We were wrong”
Jackson, a Super Bowl champion in Denver, pointed out that Kaepernick still doesn’t have a job and doesn’t fully understand why. He did praise the Eagles’ organization for opening up a dialogue on race during a recent virtual team meeting. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie and head coach Doug Pederson were supportive of players’ rights to protest.
“Like Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have a job … You stand by yourself and you realize what is important to you,” Jackson said. “Like I said, I thank Mr. Lurie and Coach Pederson for having that talk. I just wanted to make sure we brought that up … this time, we just want to keep on talking about the injustices and not to be stopped because of some of the rhetoric by anybody else and what they think this is about.”
We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange
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Eagles’ Rasul Douglas Not Forgiving Drew Brees
Drew Brees has offered two apologies since Malcolm Jenkins called him out for not supporting black athletes and their right to protest. The Saints quarterback even clapped back at President Trump and admitted the American flag isn’t the issue.
Was it lip service? Who knows. Either way, some players weren’t willing to accept his apology.
Count Rasul Douglas among those not impressed. The Eagles cornerback has been hyper-critical of Brees and his failure to understand what black athletes are upset about.
“Nah you said how you felt,” Douglas wrote in regard to Brees’ first apology. “Don’t try and say you talking to people now like you ain’t have teammates your whole life of other races.”
Douglas was also very thankful to Jenkins for speaking out on the subject. The two defensive players won a Super Bowl championship together as teammates in Philadelphia where Jenkins was the captain.
“People see why he was our leader,” Douglas wrote. “Man I love you and I’ll go to war with you on any topic and on any field brother. Keep being the leader and speaker you are for the community and world!!”
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Eagles Pro Bowl DT Fires Back at Roger Goodell, NFL Apology