Four years ago, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made headlines for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. Kaepernick’s protest is resurfacing now as more players across the NFL are joining the conversation about social injustices.
During a Zoom conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson spoke about Kaepernick’s initial protests and the continued protests.
“I’m definitely more hopeful now, but it’s a shame that it’s under these circumstances because ‘Kap’ started it years ago and this is something obviously we’ve been going through for hundreds of years,” Jackson said. “For it to be 2020 and still be going through things like that, I’m definitely more hopeful. But at the same time, it’s one of those things where I know at my age being 32, I probably won’t see any change.
“But for me, it’s all about what can we change for the next generation. For them to not have to go out and not be able to wear hoodies at night or to not be able to ride their bikes late at night or just whatever — to drive nice cars and not be racially profiled because they’re African American, stuff like that. I’m definitely more hopeful now, but we have to continue to take the necessary steps in which we can be heard so these things don’t continue to occur.”
Jackson also described past incidents of being racially profiled.
