Finally breaking his silence, NFL head Roger Goodell issued a statement regarding the decision by San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick to protest on-going police brutality against people of color by sitting during the playing of the national anthem.
On Wednesday Goodell said to Barry Wilner of the Associated Press:
“I don’t necessarily agree with what he is doing. I support our players when they want to see change in society, and we don’t live in a perfect society. … On the other hand, we believe very strongly in patriotism in the NFL. I personally believe very strongly in that.”
“We have to choose respectful ways of doing that so that we can achieve the outcomes we ultimately want and do it with the values and ideals that make our country great,” said Goodell, whose late father, Charles, was a U.S. senator.
“I think it’s important to have respect for our country, for our flag, for the people who make our country better; for law enforcement; and for our military who are out fighting for our freedoms and our ideals.”
Goodell now joins the legion of Kaepernick detractors who are imploring him to respect authority but fail to address incidents of police brutality that continue to plague society chocking it up to ‘we don’t live in a perfect society.’
Good job Goodell.