Could More NFL Players Join Colin Kaepernick's Protest?

Could More NFL Players Join Colin Kaepernick's Protest?

The 49ers quarterback won’t stand for the national anthem anymore.

Matt Vasilogambros 4:42 PM ET

http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/08/nfl-colin-kaepernick-protest/497945/

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem before games as a protest against recent high-profile incidents of police brutality and racial injustice have been met with criticism and protests, but is an important step for a league where professional athletes rarely speak out on such issues.

Kaepernick was noticed sitting down during the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” in a preseason game Friday. When asked by a reporter about his actions, he said:

I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.

The NFL does not require its athletes stand for the national anthem, and, indeed, the 49ers said it was within Kaepernick’s right to not participate. But some coaches say they expect members of their team to stand, regardless of their personal feelings. It’s a delicate line that Rex Ryan, the Buffalo Bills head coach, addressed in a Sunday news conference:

Anytime I talk to my team about that, if there’s personal beliefs or whatever that keep you from doing it, I understand. But at the same time, you know, you’ve got to look at the gifts that we have, the opportunity that we have to play a great game is through the men and women that serve our country. I think that’s an opportunity right there just to show respect, and I think that’s why when you see our team, every one of us are on that line and that’s kind of our way of giving thanks.

Reaction to Kaepernick’s actions were largely negative and included people burning his jerseys. Pro athletes in other leagues have expressed solidarity with the Black Lives Matters movement. NBA stars famously protested the killings of unarmed black men by white officers, as did their counterparts in the WNBA; even Michael Jordan, who was notoriously taciturn about politics during his playing days, has weighed in. But this is an important moment for professional football: one of the league’s stars is speaking out on social-justice issues, something that is rare in the NFL.

National Football League (NFL)

Gene A. Washington was the director of football operations for the National Football League (NFL), a player for the San Francisco 49ers, and is a frequent social companion of Condoleezza Rice.

Note: Condoleezza Rice is a frequent social companion of Gene A. Washington, a client of the William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).

Ari Emanuel is the co-CEO & director for William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and Rahm I. Emanuel’s brother.

Rahm I. Emanuel is Ari Emanuel’s brother, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Chicago (IL) mayor, and was the White House chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.  

Linda Johnson Rice is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a director at the United Negro College Fund.

Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, dated Ahmad Rashad, and was a director at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/12/commercial-club-of-chicago-members.html

R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP, contributed $125,000 of Nobel Prize money to the United Negro College Fund, is the president of the Barack Obama administration, and Ahmad Rashad is his occasional golf partner.  

Cynthia Hogan was a counsel to the VP, deputy assistant to the president for the Barack Obama administration, and is the EVP for the National Football League (NFL).

Ahmad Rashad is Barack Obama’s occasional golf partner, a friend of Michael Jordan, and dated Valerie B. Jarrett.         

Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

James S. Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the vice chairman for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the president of Henry Crown and Company.

Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the chairman for Henry Crown and Company, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), the International Rescue Committee, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.  

Henry Crown and Company is an investor in the Chicago Bulls.

Michael Jordan was a player for the Chicago Bulls, a director at the America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth, and is a friend of Ahmad Rashad.

Alma J. Powell was a chair for the America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth, is a director at the America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth, Michael K. Powell’s mother, and married to Colin L. Powell.

Michael K. Powell is Alma J. Powell & Colin L. Powell’s son, a director at the America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth, and was a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), the International Rescue Committee, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations. 

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).    

Condoleezza Rice is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank),     an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, a frequent social companion of Gene A. Washington, a client of the William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).

Colin L. Powell is an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, married to Alma J. Powell, Michael K. Powell’s father, was a founding chairman for the America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth, and a director at the United Negro College Fund.

Michael Jordan was a director at the America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth, a player for the Chicago Bulls, and is a friend of Ahmad Rashad.

Paul Tagliabue was a director at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a commissioner for the National Football League (NFL), a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, and is a friend of William R. Hambrecht.

Covington & Burling LLP is the lobby firm for the National Football League (NFL).

Eric H. Holder Jr. is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, a trustee at the Morehouse School of Medicine, and an intern at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

Theodore V. Wells Jr. is a co-chair emeritus for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and was hired to probe allegations of bullying at the National Football League (NFL).

Sarah P. Hambrecht is a trustee at the Morehouse School of Medicine, married to William R. Hambrecht, and a friend of Nancy Pelosi.

William R. Hambrecht is married to Sarah P. Hambrecht, a friend of Paul Tagliabue, a friend of Paul Pelosi, and was a co-founder for the United Football League.

Nancy Pelosi is a friend of Sarah P. Hambrecht, married to Paul Pelosi, Terri McCullough is her chief of staff, and was an invited to George Soros’s 2013 wedding reception.

Paul Pelosi is married to Nancy Pelosi, a friend of William R. Hambrecht, and was an investor in the United Football League.

Terri McCullough is Nancy Pelosi’s chief of staff, and married to Howard Wolfson.

Howard Wolfson is married to Terri McCullough, and was a partner at the Glover Park Group.

Glover Park Group is the lobby firm for the National Football League (NFL).

Gene A. Washington was the director of football operations for the National Football League (NFL), a player for the San Francisco 49ers, and is a frequent social companion of Condoleezza Rice.