As the racially biased controversy over ousted NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick’s, peaceful protest against police violence against African Americans continues, Jesse Jackson, is voicing his outlook on the matter. He’s also raising a point about Caucasian ex-NFL quarterback, Tim Tebow, who branded his entire pro-football career off of kneeling before the games. Though Tebow and Kaepernick kneeled for two very different reasons, Rev. Jackson feels that they both deserve the same respect. There’s just one major difference between the two though…depending on who you ask.
(Video) Jesse Jackson: ‘Why They Hating On Kaep, But Not Tebow?’
Paparazzi cameras caught up with Jesse Jackson at the Reagan International Airport and asked him about the whole Kaepernick controversy that seems to have a lot of mainly Trump supporters out here burning their Nike’s up, throwing hissy-fits and what-not.
Jackson’s response included a comparison between the backlash Kaepernick is getting for actually protesting for the equal rights of people of color vs. Tim Tebow taking a knee to protest for his religious views and pro-life abortion beliefs:
Jesse Jackson: “It’s interesting that when Tim Tebow took a knee, it was accepted,” Jesse tells TMZ Sports. “Kaepernick takes a knee and he’s rejected. Both of them took a knee in protest of what they believed in. One was religion. One was for justice. Okay.”
The Difference Between Tebow & Kaepernick That Jesse Jackson Missed
There is one difference between Kaepernick’s and Tebow’s kneeling protest that Rev. Jackson didn’t mention. That is the fact that Tebow kneeled before the National Anthem was played, to protest against values he feels goes against his Christian beliefs. Kaepernick kneeled during the National Anthem to protest against the centuries-long murderous injustices inflicted upon African Americans, and other people of color, by the United States judicial system and several (not all) trigger happy police officers.
In scrolling through several online comments regarding the aforementioned comparison, I couldn’t help but notice that those who are so infuriated by Kaep’ protesting for equal rights for minorities, praise Tim Tebow, who- depending on who you ask- could be viewed as also “disrespecting” something. Not everyone who watches football are Christians- some are Muslim, some are Jewish, some follow Buddhism – so on and so forth. So, why is that those same Kaepernick haters are not pissed off just based on the fact that maybe Tim’s kneel for his religious beliefs could be deemed “offensive” to those who practice a different religious faith? That would be crazy, right?
Well, the answer to that question is simple. The bottom line seems to be that no matter how much the anti-Kaepernick crowd may shout at the top of their lungs that he’s ‘disrespecting our country by kneeling during the National Anthem,’ deep down we all know it has more to do with the notion of ‘How dare he use his platform to stand up for his fellow people of color and fight for their lives in front of America’s face?’ That too, sounds ridiculous.
But just like Marvin Gaye asked, “What’s Going On?” and Gil Scott Heron warned, ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Kaepernick is continuing to stand up and ‘believe in something….even if it costs him everything.’
Shout out to Nike by the way. True, making Kaepernick their spokesperson for their 30th anniversary was a smart business move from a corporate standpoint, it still sent a powerful message.
