Less than 24 hours after the NFL made an official statement about supporting Black Lives Matter causes, Roger Goddell, the Commissioner of the National Football League, issued a controversial statement about the kneeling protests that gained international attention. Years ago, Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the National Anthem as a silent protest against police brutality, and it was a move that was frowned upon by not only members of the league, but by many Americans, as well. There were threats of fines and suspensions for players who followed in Kaepernick's footsteps, and soon, the quarterback found himself blackballed from the very league he loved so dearly.
Yesterday (June 4), a video began to circulate that featured a number of black professional football players asking for the NFL to admit that they were wrong about how they handled the peaceful protests. In the caption of a tweet sent out today, the NFL wrote, "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."
Even with the admission, the league didn't specifically mention Kaepernick or how the football star's sports career has become non-existent. Colin Kaepernick's girlfriend, Nessa Diab, retweeted the clip of Goddell and had an additional thought. "And you @nflcommish STILL have @Kaepernick7 blackballed for peacefully protesting," she wrote. Many others agreed with her and matched her frustration with their tweets, as well. Check them out below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1269052148689432576
https://twitter.com/_/status/1269040502902534145
https://twitter.com/_/status/1269040502902534145
https://twitter.com/_/status/1269026096034398208
https://twitter.com/_/status/1269096701089832960
https://twitter.com/_/status/1269119159138279424
https://twitter.com/_/status/1269119133075025920
https://twitter.com/_/status/1269088944819503106
