As the reaction to Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest continues to pour in, former NFL quarterback and current analyst Boomer Esiason has offered one of the strongest takes.
At an event for CBS in New York on Tuesday, Esiason said he believes Kaepernick’s decision to remain seated during the national anthem is one of the most “disrespectful” things an athlete has ever done.
“I cannot say it in the strongest, most direct way, that it’s an embarrassment and it’s about as disrespectful as any athlete has ever been,” Esiason said, per Bob Glauber of Newsday. “And I don’t care what the cause is. The NFL football field is not a place for somebody to further their political ambitions. Can you imagine if a player went out on the field with a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat and let’s vote for (Donald) Trump? It’s the same thing.”
Many have applauded Kaepernick for using his status as an NFL player to call attention to a social issue, but Esiason isn’t on board with the message, either.
“He is severely under-informed, and I welcome him to go ride in a cop car and take numerous 911 calls, going into places where guns and violence are everyday occurrences,” Esiason added. “Put on that blue (police) uniform and put the shield on and see what it’s like to put your life in harm’s way every single day, and then get back to me when you’re making $35,000 or $40,000 a year, as opposed to the $11 million he’s making.”
While Esiason did point out that Kaepernick is entitled to his opinion, he is incensed that the 28-year-old chose to express it at work.
“It’s an NFL football field, and he’s wearing an NFL uniform,” Esiason said. “At the end of the day, if he wants to do it in a news conference, if he wants to do it and talk about it at the ESPY’s and talk about it at an event he’s having, more power to him. Those are the places you should be doing it, like LeBron James is doing it, like Carmelo Anthony is hoping to do it.”
As we’ve already mentioned, Kaepernick must be pleased with himself if his goal was to get people talking. While there are plenty who share Esiason’s opinion, Kaep is even receiving support from men and women in the military who have used this hashtag. The reaction is showing no signs of slowing down.
