GETTY Colin Kaepernick #7 and Eric Reid #35 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to playing the Los Angeles Rams in their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on September 12, 2016 in Santa Clara, California.
If you ever want an honest answer, ask Jesse Ventura.
Appearing on Fox Sports Radio’s “Listen In With KNN” Ventura told the show’s host, Kelsey Nicole Nelson, that he wasn’t a fan of the way NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell has handled civil rights issues.
“It has been a difficult time in our country,” Goodell said last month after the murders of African Americans like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
The NFL’s Response Video
The NFL’s initial response came in the form of a video featuring Goodell.
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
“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter. I personally protest with you and want to be a part of the much needed change in this country.”
Jesse Ventura isn’t buying it. “I thought it was far too disingenuous,” he told Kelsey Nicole Nelson.
“He should have apologized personally to Kaepernick. And then let’s have them address the issue of the Washington football nickname, because that’s a racist name. It stands for genocide. And I’ll tell you the story when I was when I was marching, a young Native American came up to me, and he showed me a newspaper article from the Winona Minnesota paper back in like the 1860s. And the headline of the article was, Governor Ramsey raises the bounty on redskins.
In other words, you could go out, kill innocent, Native American families, children, whoever bring their skins back, and you he raised it to $200 of skin which They would come out to be at about four to five grand. So you could go out and hunt to hunt these people down, kill them, murder them. And you were rewarded and paid for by our own government. Now, that’s effective using this name. And everybody does it. You see it on TV all the time. You see Black announcers said 70% of the league is African American. Don’t they see this and shouldn’t they speak out on this as well as Kaepernick?”
Colin Kaepernick has not played NFL football in four seasons. It all began when he refused to stand during the playing of the National Anthem. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Network’s Steve Wyche.
Kaepernick led the San Francisco 49ers to an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII and was in a contract year when he took his stance on the American Flag.
Roger Goodell Addresses Colin Kaepernick’s Potential Return
In a conversation with Mike Greenberg for ESPN’s “The Return of Sports” special, Goodell told Greenberg that he’d like to see Kaepernick play. “If he wants to resume his career in the NFL, then obviously it’s gonna take a team to make that decision,” said the Goodell.
“But I welcome that, support a club making that decision, and encourage them to do that.
“If his efforts are not on the field but continuing to work in this space, we welcome him to that table and to help us, guide us, help us make better decisions about the kinds of things that need to be done in the communities. We have invited him in before, and we want to make sure that everybody’s welcome at that table, and trying to help us deal with some very complex, difficult issues, that have been around for a long time.
READ NEXT: Patriots Aren’t ‘Married’ to Jarrett Stidham as Their QB, Says NFL Expert