Unemployed National Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick received a rousing measure of support Wednesday when hundreds of fans attended a demonstration in front of the league’s main offices in Manhattan.
The former San Francisco 49ers offensive leader was at the heart of a controversial silent protest last year when he began kneeling during the national anthem to demonstrate against police brutality.
He was subsequently released by the team at the end of last year’s season and has yet to be picked up by another franchise.
Hundreds of demonstrators rally in support of unsigned NFL free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick Wednesday
A demonstrator wears a t-shirt reading ‘It Is Right To Rebel’ during a rally against the National Football League
People participate in a rally against the NFL, supporting Colin Kaepernick in Manhattan borough of New York
A man holds a banner reading ‘Black Lives Matter’ during a rally against the National Football League
A demonstrator holds a banner reading “Boycott the NFL Until Kaepernick Is Hired” participate in a rally against the NFL
Supporters of Kaepernick say he’s being blackballed by NFL owners for his stance, while critics point to his ability as a player for his recent free agency woes.
The 29-year-old Kaepernick four years ago led the 49ers to a Super Bowl.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) earlier sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, asking to discuss Kaepernick’s current situation with leaders of the civil rights organization.
NAACP’s interim president and CEO Derrick Johnson wrote that ‘no player should be victimized and discriminated against because of his exercise of free speech.’
Other players have followed Kaepernick’s example, refusing to stand up for the anthem in a gesture both in support of Kaepernick and his stance against racial discrimination.
On Monday, at least 12 members of the Cleveland Browns refused to stand for the national anthem, the largest on-field sign of solidarity by an NFL team yet.
Kaepernick (pictured right) has been at the center of a controversial silent protest, refusing to stand for the national anthem
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (pictured) insists there is no coordinated effort to keep Kaepernick from playing
The issue has raised a national debate in some quarters as to whether athletes should be engaged in political demonstrations on the field.
Organizations such as Justice League NYC and Color of Change helped coordinate the demonstration outside the NFL’s Midtown headquarters
‘First, we are here because we believe Colin Kaepernick deserves a job,’ said Symone D. Sanders, the former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign.
‘We also believe that the NFL has been complicit in the ostracization of Colin Kaepernick. And today, it is time for the NFL to take a stand.’
A small counter-protest across the street was also formed, some holding signs in support of police.
One demonstrator told The New York Times: ‘They are alleging that there is racism involved in Kaepernick not signing in the NFL, but he’s a free agent to sign or not sign… ‘Was race the intent? No one can prove that.’
Goodell, for his part, insisted that no coordinated effort to bar Kaepernick from playing is keeping underway, saying Wednesday if a team needed his services they would sign him.
‘I think every one of our teams will do what is in their best interest to put a winning team on the field and to do what they really are hoping to do, which is create a franchise that is winning,’ he said. ‘And if they see that opportunity, they’ll do that.’