Atlanta NAACP calls for boycott of NFL, Falcons game over treatment of Colin Kaepernick
The Atlanta NAACP is calling for a boycott of the NFL and the first Falcons' home game of the 2017 season if Colin Kaepernick is not on an NFL training camp roster.
Kaepernick, the former 49ers starting QB, is currently a free agent after throwing 16 touchdowns to four interceptions for San Francisco in 2016. He also took his squad to the Super Bowl in 2013.
However, by taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016 in peaceful protest of the unjust treatment of African-Americans, he drew criticism from one side and praise from another, but most of all, he drew tons of media attention and controversy.
Some believe Kaepernick is being blackballed by owners after he opted out of his contract and became a free agent this offseason. He has been brought in by a couple of teams, but has been passed over for quarterback spots in Seattle, Baltimore and Miami.
The Atlanta NAACP is not standing for it anymore.
“There will be no football in the state of Georgia if Colin Kaepernick is not on a training camp roster and given an opportunity to pursue his career,” said Gerald Griggs from Atlanta NAACP (via FOX 5 in Atlanta, h/t Pro Football Talk). “This is not a simple request. This is a statement. This is a demand.and if Mr. Kaepernick is not allowed to pursue his career, then on September the 17th, at 5:00, we are going to have the world’s largest tailgate, and that tailgate will not go into Mercedes-Benz Stadium. We will take a knee, and we will continue to take a knee on the NFL until they act with one voice.”
Kaepernick has not made a statement on his current free agency since he stepped away from the 49ers in March, but the rumors coming out of his camp are that he still wants to play quarterback in the NFL. If that is true, then he certainly should be on an NFL roster.
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For now, the NAACP in Atlanta will wait to see what happens in the next weeks and will plan for their peaceful protest in September. In the meantime, Falcons owner Arthur Blank released a statement of his own.
"I have a long record of active opposition to any symbol or behavior that represents exclusion or discrimination, both personally and in keeping with the core values of our businesses. I, along with our Family Foundation, the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United have never and will never waver from that stance."