Well said, Stan @stanverrettpic.twitter.com/6p4XUW1HuG
— I Am No One (@ImTooMuch) August 30, 2016.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to not stand during the singing of the National Anthem prior to the start of the Packers-Niners preseason game last week has sparked a national debate with many people disagreeing and agreeing with Kaepernick’s decision.
But throughout all the hot takes and opinions, there has been no perfect explanation of the Kaepernick situation than that explained by ESPN anchor Stan Verrett.
During Monday night’s airing of SportsCenter, Verrett described Kaepernick’s protest.
Here’s the transcript:
“Look, I’ve always stood for the anthem — because I believe in the promise of America, what the flag is supposed to symbolize. Even though America often falls short of what it’s supposed to symbolize. My dad served in the army, and dealt with discrimination in the army — came back from his service in World War II and was not afforded the full rights as a U.S. citizen after his service. So don’t talk to me about sacrifice and the military, because he went there. My mom was the valedictorian of her high school, couldn’t go to college in Louisiana mainstream universities because they were segregated. They didn’t want to hear about her grades — you can’t go because you’re black. There’s still problems today: Discriminatory lending, housing, hiring, pay, the justice system. These are real problems. People aren’t just making this up, and they’re trying to find ways to speak out about it — and you’re not always going to agree with the method, but let’s pay as much attention to the substance as we do to the symbol.”
