‘Is he blind?’ Denver Broncos coach ripped for saying he doesn’t see racism in NFL
In 2016, San Francisco 49ers star quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat quietly as the national anthem blared throughout Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, during a preseason game. He went unnoticed that first game, but his silence would soon roar in the ears of the NFL.
It was during the next game, when Kaepernick mimicked his actions during the anthem, that reporters noticed, and so did the world.
“I am not going to stand up and show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told the media, NFL.com reported. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
That was four years ago.
Today, demonstrators are protesting in the streets throughout the world, protesting the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.
As for Kaepernick, the man who set the record for most rushing yards for a quarterback in a game, the man who led the 49ers to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994, the man who peacefully kneeled, doesn’t have a job in the NFL.
On Tuesday, Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told reporters he doesn’t believe racism and discrimination are issues in the NFL.
“I think our problems in the NFL along those lines are minimal,” Fangio said, according to Fox 31 in Denver. “We’re a league of meritocracy, you earn what you get, you get what you earn.
“I don’t see racism at all in the NFL. I don’t see discrimination in the NFL. We’re lucky. We all live together, joined as one, for one common goal, and we all intermingle and mix tremendously. If society reflected an NFL team, we’d all be great.”
Fanigo was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2011-2014 and was with Kaepernick when the team made its Super Bowl run against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 season.
Current NFL players and former greats disagree with Fangio’s assessment.
Terrell Owens, who played for the 49ers for seven seasons, shined a light on Kaepernick being blackballed from the NFL for peacefully protesting in his tweet.
And he wasn’t the only one who called out the Broncos coach.
Seattle Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs also took to Twitter to acknowledge Fangio’s words.
Diggs’ teammate, running back Chris Carson, also took aim at Fangio’s words.
Fangio isn’t the only one in the league facing criticism for their words on racism. On Saturday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was accused of hypocrisy when he released a statement addressing Floyd’s death.
“The NFL family is greatly saddened by the tragic events across our country,” Goodell said in a statement released on Twitter. “The protesters’ reactions to these incidents reflect the pain, anger, and frustration that so many of us feel. As current events dramatically underscore, there remains much more to do as a country and as a league. These tragedies inform the NFL’s commitment and our ongoing efforts. There remains an urgent need for action. We recognize the power of our platform in communities and as part of the fabric of American society.”
Multiple people across the sports spectrum were quick to pounce on Goodell.
“Save the bull----,” Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills said in a tweet.
Director Ava DuVernay also called out Goodell’s words.
Michael Shawn-Dugar, a writer for The Athletic, brought up the NFL’s treatment of Kaepernick after he peacefully protested.
UPDATE: On Wednesday afternoon, Fangio issued an apology, which the Broncos posted to social media.
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 1:42 PM with the headline "‘Is he blind?’ Denver Broncos coach ripped for saying he doesn’t see racism in NFL."