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Dez Bryant slammed for criticizing Colin Kaepernick, trolls say 'do your research'

Dez Bryant made these remarks on the ‘I AM ATHLETE’ podcast with Brandon Marshall, Chad Ochocinco, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder

American civil rights activist and former football quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been a divisive figure for some time now. Conservatives have time and again criticized him for his activism, especially surrounding his stands on race. Now, former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant has taken a shot at Kaepernick in a recent podcast appearance, calling him out for not creating jobs.

Bryant made these remarks on the ‘I AM ATHLETE’ podcast with Brandon Marshall, Chad Ochocinco, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder. "I respect Colin Kaepernick. But there is one thing that I don’t respect and I said when I get the opportunity and to get on the stage and say it, I would say it. And I love him to death. So there ain’t no hate or nothing like that," Bryant said. 

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"But brotha, you had the biggest opportunity in the world to create jobs, to build jobs, to give jobs to people," he said of Kaepernick. "The people you was talking about. The people that you were so-called ‘standing up for.’ People who stood beside you, people who lost their jobs because of you. Where you at? I ain’t heard from you. He brought the awareness and that’s why I respect him."

In 2017, Bryant credited Kaepernick and Marshawn Lynch for kneeling for the anthem but was totally against it. "I'm not criticizing nobody. They're free to do whatever they want. Hell no I'm not doing none of that. Their beliefs are their beliefs, and I'm not saying that it's wrong -- because they're feeling a certain way," he said, adding he would go about raising awareness for those things a different way. In 2019, Bryant criticized Kaepernick as well.

“The narrative was created and the dialogue began but that's just the first step. Where are the next steps?” Bryant asked at the time in a statement on Twitter. “Where is the action behind the words. How do we expect any change if we leave it here. Your attempt to gain entry back into a league that does not agree with your views .. what has and what will change? It is still the same league. At the end of the day you have all the eyes and ears.” 

“Lead the people the right way,” he added. “Create the examples through actions such as what Jay Z has done with collaborating with the NFL in an initiative to create something to benefit social Justice as well as help athletes as myself through life and our careers. Helping us by lifting us through education and knowledge. Equipping people to sow seeds of knowledge into their respective communities. When it's all said and done if nothing changes what was gained?”

Online, Bryant was heavily criticized. The Root’s Michael Harriot said, “Here’s the thing about what @DezBryant said. It’s not just that Des Bryant is wrong, it’s clear that he’s saying something that white people told him to say,” adding in a Twitter thread, “Even the term ‘bring awareness’ proves Dez doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Because the narrative surrounding Kaepernick has been so twisted by media outlets that MOST people truly believe Kaepernick wanted to bring social Justice & politics to the biggest platform in sports.”

Another tweet said, “Like the old saying goes ‘if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything’ Colin Kaepernick stood for something, Dez Bryant is falling for anything.” One person wrote, “Dez Bryant… A tip… Before you go on any media platform please DO YOUR RESEARCH… There are many things Colin Kaepernick has done and is still doing for the people he kneeled for. Get ya facts straight.” Another person said, “Dez Bryant, Jerry Rice, and Ray Lewis really don’t like what Colin did. They seem more pissed than racist white ppl.”