Donald Trump Jr mocks NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick as 'the most nonessential employee in American History'
President Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., took a dig at the former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Colin Kaepernick on Wednesday by calling him a "nonessential employee." The businessman was referring to the classification of "essential" and "nonessential" jobs and employees amid the coronavirus lockdown in the country.
Trump Jr., took to his verified Facebook account on Wednesday, and posted a picture of Kaepernick kneeling during a game. The picture came with a caption: "The most nonessential employee in American History," referring to the activist. The president's son also shared the picture on Twitter and wrote: "Hard to argue..." suggesting that he agreed with the picture's caption.
The original post was made by Benny Johnson, who on Twitter, is described as "an American political columnist, currently serving as chief creative officer at conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA." This is not the first time Johnson has targeted Kaepernick and had previously photoshopped pictures of the activist during the Super Bowl.
The controversial quarterback, Kaepernick, has not played a down in the NFL since opting out of his contract in 2016. With multiple NFL teams hunting for game-changing quarterbacks in the wake of injuries to their existing players, Kaepernick had expressed an active interest in pursuing those vacancies. However, reports state that his controversial reputation might be getting in the way of him being taken on by any team. Kaepernick was the first NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem as a protest against racism and police brutality.
The quarterback began his protest in 2016 when he was with the San Francisco 49ers at the time. The player stirred a national controversy in an effort to protest police brutality in the country. Other players soon took his cue and joined the protest in the 2016 season, while many others have continued the protest till now.
Kaepernick's movement drew heavy criticism from President Trump, who even called for the owners of the NFL teams to fire the players who were participating in it. The NFL, last year, had announced a rule which required all the players to stand during the national anthem. The association, however, gave an option to the players to stand off the field until the ceremony was over instead of kneeling outside.
The player, however, has continued to keep in shape, in hope that a franchise will sign him and he will get to play again. Kaepernick, who had led San Francisco to the 2013 Super Bowl, last February had reached a confidential settlement with the NFL after alleging that the league blackballed him.
The NFL had arranged tryouts for the quarterback at Atlanta Falcons training facility in Georgia last year, however, the location was shifted to a high school stadium at the last minute. Kaepernick, while commenting on the change, had stated that it was done so that the media could be present. Reports state that Kaepernick's team decided to move the location of his workout after they accused the NFL of not acting rightfully.
"From the outset, Mr. Kaepernick requested a legitimate process and from the outset, the NFL league office has not provided one," his team said in a statement. "Most recently, the NFL has demanded that as a precondition to the workout, Mr. Kaepernick sign an unusual liability waiver that addresses employment-related issues and rejected the standard liability waiver from physical injury proposed by Mr. Kaepernick’s representatives."