~Eric Reid: Why Colin Kaepernick and I Decided to Take a Knee~
RESPECTFUL GESTURE
Sept. 25, 2017
In early 2016, I began paying attention to reports about the incredible number of unarmed black people being killed by the police. The posts on social media deeply disturbed me, but one in particular brought me to tears: the killing of Alton Sterling in my hometown Baton Rouge, La. This could have happened to any of my family members who still live in the area. I felt furious, hurt and hopeless. I wanted to do something, but didn’t know what or how to do it. All I knew for sure is that I wanted it to be as respectful as possible.
A few weeks later, during preseason, my teammate Colin Kaepernick chose to sit on the bench during the national anthem to protest police brutality. To be honest, I didn’t notice at the time, and neither did the news media. It wasn’t until after our third preseason game on Aug. 26, 2016, that his protest gained national attention, and the backlash against him began.
After hours of careful consideration, and even a visit from Nate Boyer, a retired Green Beret and former NFL player, we came to the conclusion that we should kneel, rather than sit, the next day during the anthem as a peaceful protest.
We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture.
I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy.
Eric Reid/Colin Kaepernick
“As it appears in … full read/full credit”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/opinion/colin-kaepernick-football-protests.htmlEric Reid … Colin Kaepernick
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