Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray did not mince words when he was asked whether he plans on kneeling during the national anthem in peaceful protest against police brutality and racial injustice. He said unequivocally that he will.
He will not be the only Cardinals player to do so. Running back Kenyan Drake will join him in kneeling.
“Kyler obviously is the undisputed leader of not only the offense, but the whole team,” Drake said on Good Morning Football on NFL Network.
Drake is impressed with the conviction of the second-year quarterback.
“To come out and be able to do that, obviously I respect him and I’ll be right next him doing the same thing,” he said.
Drake also expressed some regret for not doing it previously.
“When I was in the league and (Colin) Kaepernick was leading the charge, there was a lot of backlash, and I personally feel disappointed for not stepping out on a limb and doing something that I felt like would be important to do,” he explained.
Then with the Miami Dolphins, he had players on the team like receiver Kenny Stills and running back Arian Foster who were proponents of Kaepernick’s cause.
“We all came together, but we all wouldn’t do it as a team,” Drake recalled. “So I felt like that if we didn’t do it as a team, then I didn’t feel comfortable doing it.”
He will do it this season regardless of whether the rest of his teammates will or not.
“Now I don’t want to use it as a copout,” he said. “It’s something we all need to stand up for and, I guess, take a knee for.”
Kaepernick appeared to be pushed out of the league for kneeling in 2016. Based on comments from players all around the league, it appears that kneeling will be widespread by players in 2020.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
Ep. 268
Ep. 267
