Colin Kaepernick gets shoutout from Mariah Carey amid Super Bowl LV, fans ask 'gutless' NFL to hire player back

Mariah Carey took to her Twitter to give a shoutout to Colin Kaepernick at the NFL during Super Bowl LV on Sunday night after the league's Inspire Change campaign ad aired on CBS. 

"Happy Colin Kaepernick Appreciation Day," Carey wrote on Twitter when referring to the former quarterback. Former NFL star Kaepernick was one of the first who, since the end of the 2016 season, started kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality.

RELATED LINKS

Colin Kaepernick plans comeback as multiple NFL teams and 1 head coach 'absolutely interested' in signing him

Colin Kaepernick honored with Tampa mural, billboards for being on 'right side of history' ahead of Super Bowl

Trump says Colin Kaepernick 'should not kneel' during national anthem after backing quarterback's NFL return

During the game on Sunday, the NFL aired a spot to remind viewers of its Inspire Change program. The ad called football a "microcosm of America" with "all races, religions, living, competing, side-by-side," and featured photos from Black Lives Matter protests, footage of players kneeling during the anthem, the helmet bumpers players wore during the season with the names of Black men and women killed by police officers. Towards the end of the ad, the NFL announced plans to spend $250 million to "help end systemic racism" and said the league's "fight for social justice" will continue after the season is over. 

This led to Carey giving Kaepernick a shoutout on her social media as he was trying to bring attention to these issues a long time ago. The 33-year-old sportsman hasn't played since he opted out of his 49ers contract in 2017, and filing a grievance against the NFL and owners for allegedly conspiring to prevent him from playing. While he withdrew the complaint, he remains unsigned and continues to be a vocal activist. 

And many pointed out to the hypocrisy of the NFL. "In that Inspire Change commercial, the NFL forgot to show the part where they blackballed Colin Kaepernick, have only 3 black NFL head coaches and no majority black ownership," one tweeted. "It’s easy to speak up when everyone is doing it. Much harder to be the first. On this Super Bowl Sunday, salute to you @Kaepernick7 for your leadership, courage, and sacrifice," another joined in to show him gratitude. 

Some pointed to the fact that the league conveniently disbursed the movement when it was first started and are now making use of it. "NFL running ads about racism and social justice without so much as a nod to the man who took a knee 4 years ago and was blackballed by the very same NFL. Gutless. #SuperBowl"

So much so that, social media users demanded the former sports star get an apology from the league. "The NFL ads about their commitment to social justice are missing an apology to Colin Kaepernick," one tweeted. "Shouldn’t any NFL ad bragging about their work to end systemic racism start with an apology to Colin Kaepernick?" another added. 

And some others pointed to the reality of the situation. "The NFL would rather donate $250,000,000 to end systemic racism than hire Colin Kaepernick." To which one suggested that the league be made responsible for their claims. "As far as I know, all they have done is make an announcement about $250 Million. We've heard a lot of that this past year. Follow the money. Verify. Hope some Journalist will list all those pledges and track them. Remember when Trump promised donations to veterans?" 

Ahead of the 2021 Super Bowl, on Thursday NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reporters that the former quarterback and activist deserved "our recognition" and "our appreciation" for challenging systemic racism.