Four years on from Kaepernick kneeling saga, NFL admit they were wrong

June 6, 2020

Twelve-days on from the death of George Floyd NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has released a statement admitting that the NFL was "wrong" in its failure to listen to NFL players regarding racial inequality and police brutality.

The statement comes four years on from San Fransico 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick's struggles with the league after speaking out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and kneeling during the national anthem.

In the video published to the NFL's social media accounts, Goodell acknowledged the large African-American contingent amongst the players and emphasised that the NFL is against racism.

"We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter.

"I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much needed change in this country." Goodell said.

Goodell went on to say, “without black players, there would be no National Football League.And the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff. We are listening.

"I am listening, and I will be reaching out to players who have raised their voices and others on how we can improve and go forward for a better and more united NFL family.”

The NFL has had a checkered past in its dealings with protests against racism. 

In 2016 Kaepernick lead the charge as several African-American players took a knee during during the national anthem in protest to police brutality against black Americans.

Kaepernicks received heavy criticism with his actions labelled as unpatriotic.  

Playing his last NFL game in 2017, Kaepernick's career effectively ended with with many franchises in the league unwilling to add him to their roster due to the controversy surrounding his actions. 

Kaepernick accused the league of conspiring with teams to shut him out and filed a collusion grievance against the NFL which was eventually settled however, the terms of the settlement were undisclosed. 

The statement comes after a group of high-profile African-American players in the league took to social media calling on the NFL to speak out against racism.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and 2020 Superbowl winner, Patrick Mahomes, appears with several other NFL stars, demanding a response from the NFL to the racial profiling and police brutality taking place in America, posing the question "What if I was George Floyd?"

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