Seattle Seahawks teammates Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril are suggesting that if a high-profile, white NFL player joined the national anthem protest, it would serve to legitimize Colin Kaepernick's stance and bring the whole thing into focus.
A number of the league's African-American players having joined in Kaepernick's protest, which the 49ers quarterback says is aimed at calling attention to the racial injustices and police brutality suffered by the country's people of color, either by taking a knee or raising a fist. Seahawks' defensive end Michael Bennett says support from a white player, the caliber of an Aaron Rodgers, is now needed to further illuminate the fight.
"You need a white guy to join the fight. The white guy is super important to the fight," Bennett told the Seattle Times. "For people to really see social injustices, there must be someone from the other side of the race who recognizes the problem, because a lot of times if just one race says there's a problem, nobody is realistic about it."
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While there have been white athletes from other sports who have backed Kaepernick, soccer star Megan Rapinoe for example, one month after he began his crusade, we have yet to see a white NFL player join the protest. Seattle defensive lineman Cliff Avril says although a white player's support would take things to the next level, he understands how difficult a decision it would be.
"If somebody like, say, Aaron Rodgers got behind us, I think it would touch home for a lot more people," said Seahawks defensive lineman Cliff Avril, whose team has chosen to lock arms while standing during the anthem. "At the same time, I see why they probably wouldn't, because they don't know what we're going through. That's one of those situations where it's unfortunate."
Seattle and San Francisco meetup Sunday in what will undoubtedly be an eventful matchup—-before, during and after the game.
