NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said yesterday that he wishes he had listened sooner to Colin Kaepernick about kneeling during the national anthem.
The comments came in an interview with former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho on his YouTube series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.”
Acho Asks About Apology To Kaepernick
Goodell first apologized in June, but didn’t specifically apologize to Colin Kaepernick. He said he was “wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and [encourages] all to speak out and peacefully protest” and said the league believed that “Black lives matter.”
Acho asked why Goodell didn’t mention Kaepernick by name in the apology.
“If you were to publicly express your remorse, apologize to Kaepernick what would you say?” Acho asked Goodell.
This was Goodell’s cue to shamelessly grovel to the radical left.
“Well, the first thing I’d say is I wish we had listened earlier, Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to. We had invited him in several times to have the conversation, to have the dialogue I wish we had the benefit of that. We never did. You know, we would have benefited from that. Absolutely.”
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Acho went on to talk about the attacks Kaepernick and his fellow kneeling players have faced from fans as well as President Donald Trump.
“Sometimes, because I’ve known for years now that the peaceful protests during the national anthem — it was never about the flag — to the point where I just want to rip out my hair sometimes and say ‘it’s not about the flag.’ If you were to be able to relay that message what would you say? Like to people who still think it’s about the flag, what would you tell them?” Acho asked.
Goodell Submits To The Radical Left Once Again
Once again, Goodell took this opportunity to submit to the radical left like it was his job.
“It is not about the flag. The message here that what our players are doing is being mischaracterized. These are not people who are unpatriotic. They’re not disloyal,” Goodell said.
“They’re not against our military. In fact, many of those guys were in the military and they’re a military family. What they were trying to do is exercise their right to bring attention to something that needs to get fixed, and that misrepresentation of who they were and what they were doing was the thing that really gnawed at me,” he added.
Goodell also said “it was horrific” to see George Floyd’s death. He added, “I hope people realize that’s what the players were protesting.”
It’s Not About the Flag?
The ongoing narrative from anthem kneelers and the media is that kneeling “isn’t about the flag.” But is that the case?
Colin Kaepernick himself seems to have directly refuted that narrative. Look at his explanation for kneeling: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
That sounds like the flag and what it represents is exactly what he’s protesting.
And we know Black Lives Matter protesters and rioters sure think it’s at least partly about the flag.
Just this past weekend, BLM rioters were burning American flags and cutting them up with a guillotine. Yes, a guillotine.
Protesters wheel a guillotine into the street in front of the police bureau #PortlandProtest #Portland pic.twitter.com/Kj66263VcU
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 23, 2020
The NFL and Roger Goodell are making a mistake here. They are alienating millions of conservative and centrist fans.
And during a time when revenues are already going to be severely impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns, that mistake could prove fatal.
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