Not long ago, former Pro Bowl quarterback and human-highlight reel Michael Vick came under scrutiny for advising former Super Bowl and current free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick to get a haircut, saying image is important. While I disagreed with the former #1 pick's assertion that Kaepernick's protests last season played no factor in him not being signed today, I could understand his unfortunately real assertion that most NFL owners are white and there's often a double-standard in the league as far as black and white players are concerned, particularly when it comes to image.
Well, now it's former Super Bowl and future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Ray Lewis's turn, and in my opinion, his advice to Kaepernick is far more troubling than Vick's. Just the other day, Lewis said this:
"The football field is our sanctuary. If you do nothing else, young man, get back on the football field and let your play speak for itself. And what you do off the field, don't let too many people know, because they're going to judge you anyway. No matter what you do, no matter if it's good or bad."
Really? Ray Lewis, a black man who has faced his share of discrimination himself, is going to tell a fellow black man that he shouldn't be so outspoken about police brutality against African-Americans in this country? Also, from a logical standpoint, Lewis's statement makes no sense. He claims that Kaepernick should keep quiet, because no matter what he says or does, people are going to judge him. If that's the case and Kaepernick is going to be judged regardless of his words or actions, why would it make sense for him to stay mum on an issue about which he feels so passionately?
Let's get one thing straight here - Colin Kaepernick didn't commit a crime. NFL players who have been charged of murder, rape, domestic violence, and dogfighting, among other things, have been given a second chance in the league. What did Kaepernick do? He protested the national anthem by taking a knee pre-game in an effort to draw attention to police brutality. Agree or disagree with his stance on the issue or his action regarding it, the man committed no crime and it's utterly ridiculous for the league to treat him as more deplorable than actual felons.
Sure, some people are sick and tired of celebrities spouting their political beliefs, but while they may have greater access to cameras and microphones than the average person, they're still Americans with Constitutional rights. Where would this country be if the oppressed quietly accepted their oppression? Where would we be if activists of the past stayed mum? Where would our black, Hispanic, Asian, Arab, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, gay, bisexual, and transgender brothers and sisters be today if we hadn't continually fought for their rights (and continue to fight today)? Like Colin Kaepernick, Ray Lewis has every right to believe and express his opinion regarding the situation, but he has to remember, without the Kaepernicks of the world, he'd have no platform from which to express those very words.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/08/01/ray-lewis-advises-colin-kaepernick-to-play-football-and-play-down-social-activism/?utm_term=.8f334d24f6b7
Well, now it's former Super Bowl and future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Ray Lewis's turn, and in my opinion, his advice to Kaepernick is far more troubling than Vick's. Just the other day, Lewis said this:
"The football field is our sanctuary. If you do nothing else, young man, get back on the football field and let your play speak for itself. And what you do off the field, don't let too many people know, because they're going to judge you anyway. No matter what you do, no matter if it's good or bad."
Really? Ray Lewis, a black man who has faced his share of discrimination himself, is going to tell a fellow black man that he shouldn't be so outspoken about police brutality against African-Americans in this country? Also, from a logical standpoint, Lewis's statement makes no sense. He claims that Kaepernick should keep quiet, because no matter what he says or does, people are going to judge him. If that's the case and Kaepernick is going to be judged regardless of his words or actions, why would it make sense for him to stay mum on an issue about which he feels so passionately?
Let's get one thing straight here - Colin Kaepernick didn't commit a crime. NFL players who have been charged of murder, rape, domestic violence, and dogfighting, among other things, have been given a second chance in the league. What did Kaepernick do? He protested the national anthem by taking a knee pre-game in an effort to draw attention to police brutality. Agree or disagree with his stance on the issue or his action regarding it, the man committed no crime and it's utterly ridiculous for the league to treat him as more deplorable than actual felons.
Sure, some people are sick and tired of celebrities spouting their political beliefs, but while they may have greater access to cameras and microphones than the average person, they're still Americans with Constitutional rights. Where would this country be if the oppressed quietly accepted their oppression? Where would we be if activists of the past stayed mum? Where would our black, Hispanic, Asian, Arab, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, gay, bisexual, and transgender brothers and sisters be today if we hadn't continually fought for their rights (and continue to fight today)? Like Colin Kaepernick, Ray Lewis has every right to believe and express his opinion regarding the situation, but he has to remember, without the Kaepernicks of the world, he'd have no platform from which to express those very words.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/08/01/ray-lewis-advises-colin-kaepernick-to-play-football-and-play-down-social-activism/?utm_term=.8f334d24f6b7
Comments
Post a Comment