With the recent news of Colin Kaepernick settling his case against the NFL and the owners for an undisclosed amount, it appears the "Stand with Kap" movement may be ending. The news comes abruptly on the heals of criticized events from artists dropping out of the Super Bowl halftime show, to the outpour of support from non-athlete figures such as Angela Davis. While the terms of the settlement cannot be discussed, and presumably proves his case for collusion, why does it have the look and feel of hush money?
Since 2016 Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem awakened the nation's glaring ignorance of social injustice against blacks. The kneeling itself was treated as a disrespectful gesture to the military and was weaponized towards law enforcement and first responders. Since then, Kaepernick’s polarizing activism has raised awareness by providing a space to address community issues and acknowledge the families affected by police brutality. Kaepernick has maintained his protests have nothing to do with anything but the injustice of blacks and social inequality.
Kap’s peaceful protests were resonating throughout the league. Several teams had players kneel while owners opted to lock arms with the players as a show of solidarity. Other players stayed in the locker room during the anthem, all while being highly criticized my president Trump stating, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He's fired! He's fired!" These comments weren’t so much hurtful as they were divisive and players felt strongly about having a voice against such comments, being the SOB’s Trump was referring too.
In September of last year Nike backed Kap making him the ambassador of the “Just Do It" ad campaign; Some people denounced Nike's support of Kaepernick and its “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” Nike remained steady and even saw its shares close at unprecedented highs for the company. Leading up to this past Super Bowl Kap found support in Lebron James and several other high-profile celebrities. Each proclaiming their support as the situation continued to evolve.
With so much support and progress why suit back up? His sacrifice has undoubtedly reshaped the way we look at team owners and the tenuous relationship with players in business. In 2017 the NFL committed to donating $100 million to different causes affecting the black community. There’s been much progress in bringing these issues to the light and having the NFL examine what contributions can be made to further spread awareness. He’s been able to gain the support of his colleagues who have also used they’re platforms to stand with him, when he walks back out on that field, what changes? When progress of the movement has been more much impactful to blacks and minorities as a whole, there is a concern that by accepting the deal he may have inherently negated the purpose of the movement altogether. At the end of the day it’s his choice, and he deserves to play the game he grew up playing regardless of the issues he feels strongly about. He’s proven he can play at a high level and wants the same opportunity to join a team with a shot at winning a title.
Will Kap be allowed to kneel and continue calling out social inequality? It’s hard to tell considering there's still so much we don’t know about the details of the arrangement. His passion to play is ever present as he has maintained his game-ready conditioning and he’s already poised to field several offers. What's clear is that the NFL has no problem reminding us that whether you're and athlete or a fan of your favorite franchise, the owners are the real stars of the game.