Colin Kaepernick is a man who continues to divide the NFL landscape and elicit strong opinions from those who identify with both sides of the argument. After refusing the stand during a playing of the national anthem last year, the QB has been vilified ad naseum by those who called his actions, among other things, disrespectful. Despite the fact that he continues to give money to charity is massive lump sums, he's still seen as someone who's "not worth" this type of scrutiny. One former player stepped into the conversation arena today and gave his take not only on Kaepernick's situation, but also comments made about the embattled quarterback by football legend Jim Brown.
As reported by TMZ, Brown made it clear that Kaepernick has to decide whether he wants to be a full-blown activist or a football player. "Football is commercial," he said. "You have owners. You have fans. And you want to honor that if you're making that kind of money." Brown added that the contracts players sign makes this sort of struggle inherently contradictory. "I can't be two things at once that contradict each other," he said. "If I sign for money, then the people I sign with, they have rules and regulations." Finally, Brown ended strong with his views on the kneel that took place during the U.S. anthem. "I'm going to give you the real deal: I'm an American. I don't desecrate my flag and my national anthem."
For his part, Shannon Sharpe wasn't shy about letting TMZ know that he "1,000% wholeheartedly disagrees" with every word Jim Brown said about Kaepernick and that he's incredibly disappointed in the Hall of Famer for saying what he did. The co-host of FS1's "Undisputed" doesn't quite understand why a figure as well respected as Brown is would drag someone who is trying to give black people a voice in their day-to-day struggle. Sharpe also quipped that he didn't realize there was "a right and wrong way to protest," referencing the 1967 Cleveland Summit where the likes of Brown, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more banded together to support Ali's refusal to get sent off to war with the U.S. Army. "I'm sure they told him in 1967 when he called that Summit, I'm sure they said it wasn't the right way [...] I'm so, SO disappointed in him."