Why can’ t Kaepernick be a stand-up guy
Marc Kovar
Executive Vice-President
If I am allowed to make one prediction about the 2016 NFL season, it’ s that Colin Kaepernick remains seated. On the bench. Out of site for being out of his mind. And if you will grant me a second prediction, I hope the San Francisco 49ers make the playoffs without Kaepernick getting a chance to play, thus dispensing with any platform he might ever have for disparaging law enforcement.
I want to know what the hell he is thinking when he protests by sitting down during the playing of the National Anthem, disrespecting what the American flag stands for, even though it’ s that freedom that allows him to sleep at night. It’ s that freedom under which he can earn a multi-million dollar contract. And he adds insult to injury by wearing those socks with pigs on them that rub in our faces.
( I also think it’ s disgusting that the NFL didn’ t reprimand Kaepernick, but it would not allow the Dallas Cowboys to display an emblem on their uniforms paying tribute to the five officers assassinated there in July.)
Indulge my rant on your behalf for another minute to take off on this tangent: To handle a matter like this, all of sports should follow the lead of former New York Rangers Coach John Tortorella who is leading Team USA in the World Cup of Hockey. Said Tortorella:“ If any of my players sit on the bench for the National Anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.”
Kaepernick should be following Coach Tortorella’ s lead and be reminding his NFL buddies that when they are sleeping in their million-dollar mansions, it is law enforcement officers who are protecting them. When their team bus is escorted into the stadiums to play, it’ s law enforcement officers providing the security. And how come when the Santa Clara police department, which provides the security for 49ers home games, suggested that it might not want to be on the job for the next game because of Kaepernick’ s actions did the public backlash against those sisters and brothers? Don’ t we have the right to protest? We’ re human beings, just like you.
Remember, Kaepernick, many of those fans are kids, and we don’ t want our children looking up to NFL players who sit for what you sit for. How many of those NFL players have other issues related to the use of illegal drugs and committing acts domestic violence? People who live in glass houses shouldn’ t break other windows.
So forget you, Kaepernick. I’ m just thankful that what you’ re
sitting for isn’ t prompting people to throw stones at law enforcement officers. Or worse. I’ m thankful there has not been another mass tragedy during the past several weeks.
As we remember the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy, I wish we could be celebrating the praise and adulation America felt for law enforcement back then, not socking it to us. I think it’ s going to take another tragedy on American soil before everybody remembers the heroes of 9 / 11 and realizes the cops are the good guys. I still think the citizens of this country do not really stand up for law enforcement unless they are calling us at 3 a. m. and somebody has just broken into their houses.
Or broken into his mansion, in Kaepernick’ s case. Look, if he really wanted to do something about the way he felt, he shouldn’ t be sitting on his ass. Create some communication. Let’ s start a dialogue and look for solutions.
That’ s what we have done at the NJ State PBA. President Colligan, Cumberland County Corrections Local 231 State Delegate Victor Bermudez and I met with the president of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference, Richard Smith, in Trenton recently. We have met with different diverse groups in an effort to open up the lines of communication. We want to tell them we’ re not the bad guys; we’ re the good guys. The best way to do that is to listen to their side of the story and have them listen to our side of the story.
You can bet we’ re not taking this issue sitting down. I wish I could say the same for Colin Kaepernick. d
www. njcopsmagazine. com ■ SEPTEMBER 2016 7