GETTY General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers watches action prior to a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on October 15, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Considering that Colin Kaepernick was the first player to kneel during the national anthem, the San Francisco 49ers have an interesting history with protests.
In the atmosphere and aftermath of the murder of Minneapolis, Minnesota man George Floyd and following protests, various sporting leagues around the United States and the globe have shown support in the fight against racism and appreciation for movements like Black Lives Matter.
It is expected that many NFL players and teams will continue that support, whether as individuals or as teams, and the 49ers will likely have some part in that.
No matter what San Francisco players do, however, general manager John Lynch has dropped his stance on how the team will respond.
John Lynch on the possibility of #49ers players protesting during the national anthem:
“Our ownership has always been very clear that we respect the rights of our players to express themselves how they wish to do so. We’re going to support what they choose to do.”
Lynch is somewhat speaking on behalf of owner Jed York, but his words are not out of place, especially after York voiced support for former quarterback Kaepernick and also announced that the franchise would donate $1 million to social justice organizations.
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York’s Comments on Kaepernick, BLM
Back in June, York went on NFL Now to talk about the organization’s donation as well as open up about Kaepernick’s protests years prior, which sparked a players movement of kneeling in the following 2017 season.
“We need to continue work that Colin drew attention to four years ago in 2016, and we need to continue to let our players, first and foremost, know they have a voice to be able to speak out,” York said. “But we have to help them effectuate that change and get to a place where we have a better America.”
York went on to credit Kaepernick for prompting the 49ers to be more active and involved in social justice and reform.
“We started some social justice work and using that term when Colin started his protest,” York said. “I think we’d always been working in this area but it was clear to label it social justice. … I think the piece that we missed in 2016, and it’s a fairly simple piece, I don’t know if anybody actually addressed what the issue was, and we’re trying to fight racism in this country… I think that’s what we need to clearly call out, and you can’t defeat something if you can’t admit that’s actually what you’re fighting.”
49ers’ Actions, Voices Over 2020
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan recently voiced his opinion on the current state of diversity in the NFL, speaking specifically on the lack of black head coaches.
“How are there only four black head coaches out of 32? How are there only two [black] general managers?
How the heck are there only four black head coaches out of 32?” And only two GMs? The majority of our players are black, so the fact that there are that few, that’s not debatable.
Players have also been active and spoken out, with wide receiver Kendrick Bourne speaking at a protest and many players like cornerback Richard Sherman speaking on the matter.
When will the response be justice? Racism has been around forever and too many excuses have been made for it. If you are sitting by watching it and judging the reaction you are part of the problem with what is going on because you allow yourself to overlook the cause.
Unarmed and Black is not a crime and should not be treated as such. I will not argue or engage in discussion with individuals who cannot understand that basic premise. Basic fairness and justice is all that has been asked for and it has not be given
It’s curious the way I’m treated in public when I have a mask on and when I don’t. When I wear a mask I feel the tension that I have felt since i was a child. I can feel the looks I get of ppl who assume I’m a threat. But when the mask comes off and suddenly I’m not a threat
Whether you agree with the protests or not, the reality is this: 49ers players will kneel and the organization supports their right to protest.
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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, Mont. Reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier and join our 49ers community at Heavy on 49ers on Facebook.