Al Sharpton slams NFL for 'empty apology' during George Floyd funeral, demands league re-sign Colin Kaepernick
MSNBC host Al Sharpton has pushed back against the NFL's apology for "not listening to its players" - demanding that the league give Colin Kaepernick his "job back."
Sharpton brought up the NFL while speaking at the funeral of George Floyd in Houston, Texas, calling NFL chief Roger Goodell’s recent address to the players’ concerns about racial injustice an "empty apology." As Sharpton went on the attack, it appeared as though the funeral turned into a political rally, Breitbart reported.
“The head of the NFL said, ‘Yeah, maybe we was wrong. Football players, maybe they did have the right to peacefully protest.’ Well, don’t apologize, give Colin Kaepernick a job back," the MSNBC host fumed.
“Don’t come with some empty apology,” Sharpton continued. “Take a man’s livelihood. Strip a man down of his talents. And four years later, when the whole world is marching, all of a sudden you go and do a FaceTime, talk about you sorry. Minimizing the value of our lives."
"You sorry, then repay the damage you did to the career you stood down, ’cause when Colin took a knee, he took it for the families in this building. And we don’t want an apology. We want him repaired," he added.
A number of activists have resumed calling for Kaepernick's reinstatement to the NFL since Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody. However, insiders say no team or coach has expressed interest to reverse their stance against the quarterback thus far. That said, the NFL has already reportedly begun to cave under the pressure exerted by activists calling for the league to remove its ban on letting players openly protest during the national anthem.
Kaepernick was ousted from the NFL after he began taking a knee in the 2016 season with the 49ers. The 32-year-old quarterback has gone for three long seasons without being hired by an NFL team after being labeled a controversial distraction by some higher-ups in the league owing to the pushback received from hordes of fans. The backlash began after he started taking a knee during the National Anthem in his 2016 season to protest police brutality against black Americans.
However, it is being said that Kaepernick may get a second chance in the NFL after nationwide protests that have broken out over the May 25 death George Floyd, a black father-of-two who died at the hands of a white police officer during his arrest in Minneapolis.
“The last few weeks have been a big wake up call for many people who are decision-makers in the NFL and some owners have looked at the situation with Colin in a whole different light. They actually now feel that they would like to right a wrong and potentially work with him,” one source told HollywoodLife, adding that "discussions have intensified to see if he would be a good fit to be offered a chance to join the team or not."
Kaepernick became a free agent in 2017 after leaving the 49ers. No NFL team has shown interest in him since he was ousted from the league.