Editor's note: Be sure to catch "Reiter Than You," which airs LIVE on CBSSports.com Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 p.m. ET, starting next week. He didn't stand for the national anthem, . In a military city on a night when his team'
Zach Johnson Jersey s opponent, the , was saluting the armed forces for the 28th consecutive season. In recent weeks, knowing most of us would be watching, he . And you know what? Good for him. More on Kaepernick That's what I felt after a week of thought, and after another day in which turned his role as a quarterback in the for the into another platform for his special, divisive brand of protest. Good for him. This is a nuanced, tricky, tough topic. And we don't do nuance well, not often enough, certainly not on matters of race, nationalism and those hot-button i sues that divide us. Not in America in 2016. . We don't listen. And we're quick to hate. So let's try, if we can, to start here: Let's not hate those who feel deep, deep offense at Kaepernick's decision. I don't agree with them, at least not entirely, but I respect and admire their perspective. And let's equally try not to slander Kaepernick, or those who mostly support him and his right to do what he's done -- including, certainly, me. Kaepernick may not be the right me senger. He may, or may not, be choosing this time to stand up because of the current status of his career means there's supposedly le s to risk. It doesn't matter. ... It's the me sage that matters. Look, I take no pleasure in watching someone sit
Tre Jones Jersey during the national anthem, just as I'd take no pleasure in watching someone burn the American flag. And . But I do take deep satisfaction in being an American. It is a ble sing and stroke of great luck to be citizens of this country. And one of the myriad reasons that's true is the right to burn that flag, to sit for that anthem, to talk kindly or with great rage about police brutality, to disagree on politics, and to have to tolerate free speech that makes our skin crawl. Kaepernick may not be the right me senger. He may, or may not, be choosing this time to stand up because of the current status of his career means there's supposedly le s to risk. It doesn't matter. He could be seeking attention, just as easily as he could be solely moved by having proce sed and watched one too many black men gunned down by officers and decided, . Either way, his motivation is not the i sue at hand. Me sengers are often imperfect. It's the me sage that matters. If you love America enough to get emotional during that anthem, you should be able to separate these things. It's our rights that make us great, not the symbols of those rights, or the people who happen to call attention to them. It's what our military defends that makes this the greatest country on earth, not the fact that our military is so powerful, or even heroic. Most men and women in war are heroic, brave, willing to sacrifice for their countries. It's what and who they're fighting for that matters. It's the me sage, not the me senger, that counts. It's not even the way that me sage is delivered. It's the deeper truths behind it. Wearing socks to troll the cops? Distasteful. But protest, that works, sometimes has to be. And Kaepernick's me sage is this: I believe this country does not protect black men, and I'm going to do something bold -- or outrageous, or ugly, or whatever it is -- that draws attention to that. And the
Bryce Wolma Jersey deeper truth might just be: It takes startling acts to, in ways incremental or monumental, affect real change. If you really want to argue this country doesn't have an i sue with how its police officers treat black men, then the national anthem is the least of your concerns. Not long ago, a relatively famous and influential person here in Los Angeles tried to tell me that all these black men being killed by police officers for, well, being black must have had it coming, must have mouthed off, must have offered some disrespect that sealed their fate. This is an influential person. Pointing out there was video, proof, the opposite was true had no effect. They have had it coming. If you share that same view, stop reading. Go away. You're not welcome here. If you don't, please simply recognize that there really are some strong and ignorant forces out there that those who fear the police are trying to push past. And we can disagree on solutions while being on the same page about the problem. There is understandable rage in the black community over their sons and fathers living in fear. Kaepernick and others like him are speaking -- rightly or wrongly -- to something deeply personal to them. There's a real i sue here, and real anger. And that an athlete with money and fame and a comfortable life -- the American Dream -- would still care enough to act has real value. A quick diversion, a story that may offer some perspective here: I'm white, I'm privileged, and but for a one-in-a-million stroke of bad luck I might see this topic differently. About a decade ago, on a gloomy December day coming back from covering a Nebraska football story in the Midwest,
Aaron Duhart Jersey I hit a patch of black ice on an interstate highway, lost control of my car, spun several times, and T-boned a parked police car that had pulled to the side to help someone. Gla s exploded. The car crashed in on me. My lung punctured, I broke most of my ribs, and when the car stopped I was in the middle of that interstate. There was a lot of blood, and when I got through the shock and pain and took my bearings, I looked up to see ice falling, and cars coming over that ridge I'd just cro sed. Many lost control, and veered past me. There were several close calls. I could barely breathe. Certain I was going to die, I reached for my phone -- it was on the floor -- to try and say goodbye to my wife. I couldn't reach it. I don't care if Kaepernick was the right me senger, or if his me sage was artfully or politely done. He had guts, he sparked important conversations, and he had every right to do so. And for good measure, on Thursday
Dan Hampton Jersey after the game, he offered to put up $1 million of his own earning this season to help spark change. I found out later the officer whose car I'd hit on accident was hurt, though not as badly as I was. Then another officer arrived, and barley able to breathe I begged him for help. I felt incredible relief. He was there to protect me. He'd call an ambulance. He'd make it all right. He'd help. Instead, he told me I'd hit a cop. I was in pain and in shock, and I mi sed his anger, his contempt. I asked him again: Help me, please. His last words before walking away: "Go f--- yourself." Needle s to say, I lived. Medics arrived much later, pulled me from that car, saved my life, and accused that officer of nearly doing the opposite. My point is this: I felt a deep, deep rage at the police for a long time. I felt unsafe around them. I understood that some people with badges can and will let you die. How many? No
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