Roger Goodell says he’s ‘not a football expert’ when asked about Kaepernick

Since August 14, 2016 Colin Kaepernick has been branded a villain for choosing to kneel during the pre-game national anthem.

The former 49ers QB has been one of the few athletes to directly speak out on police brutality against people of color and has made many contributions to the cause such as his Million Dollar Pledge, which entails donating $100,000 a month for 10 months, as well as sending all the proceeds from his 2016 jersey sales to various organizations in oppressed communities.

Since sitting out the national anthem in protest of the violence unjustly committed by the police, Kaepernick has received backlash from those who believe he was disrespecting the country and its flag. He’s been called a cry baby and unpatriotic for his actions all the while keeping composure and continuing to push his message.

Since the end of the 2016 NFL season, Kaepernick has been unemployed. No NFL team seems to have interest in the quarterback although his colleagues firmly believe he is a better player than many starting quarterbacks and should absolutely be on a team.

Today, Roger Goodell, the NFL’s commissioner of 11 years appeared on the sports show First Things First to talk about everything football, including the Colin Kaepernick situation. Goodell has been the head of the NFL world for 11 years now, he should have a great viewpoint on whether or not Kaepernick should be playing this season, right?

Nope. 

When asked if, based on his previous season, Kaepernick good enough to make an NFL roster, the COMMISSIONER OF THE NFL responded,

“One thing I do as a commissioner is, I don’t make those decisions. I’m not a football expert.”

This side-stepping response from Roger Goodell is a perfect example of how political racial issues will continue to be seen in big business like the NFL.

For the NFL commissioner to say that he isn’t a football person when approached with challenging issues regarding race just goes to show that Kaepernick’s woes will continue to go unanswered until it directly affects those in power.

It’s clear that after 11 years working in the NFL you’d be able to know if a player was good or not and dodging the question by feigning ignorance as an excuse isn’t acceptable on this side.

I will continue to support Collin Kaepernick and his fight for equality and education.

Visit his website kaepernick7.com for details on how much he’s done for the cause and how he plans to continue challenging the status quo.