NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Wishes ‘We Had Listened Earlier’ To Colin Kaepernick
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who’s previously expressed his regrets and offered a form of an apology, recently stated that he wishes he and other officials “had listened earlier” to Colin Kaepernick and what he was kneeling for.
While sitting down with formerNFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho for his video series, ‘Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,’ Acho asked Goodell, “You said you listened, you heard, you learned. You even apologized to so many, but in the midst of all that, there wasn’t a specific message or apology to the catalyst for it all — Kaepernick, who you mentioned. If you were to publicly express your remorse, apologize to Kaepernick, what would you say?”
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Responding, Goodell says, “We had invited him in several times to have the conversation, to have the dialogue. I wish we had the benefit of that. We never did. And we would’ve benefited from that, absolutely.” He also says that players kneeling is “not about the flag,” and that their intentions are being “mischaracterized.”
He adds, “These are not people who are unpatriotic. They’re not disloyal. They’re not against our military. In fact, many of those guys were in the military, and they’re a military family. And what they were trying to do is exercise their right to bring attention to something that needs to get fixed. And that misrepresentation of who they were and what they were doing was the thing that really gnawed at me. .. That’s where we should have listened sooner. And that’s where we should have been in there with them, understanding and figuring out what we can do as the NFL.”
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Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man: The National Anthem Protest- PT. 1
NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, & I discuss Colin Kaepernick & the protests during the national anthem that polarized America. pic.twitter.com/PcL02732ys
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) August 23, 2020