Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you’ve seen the headlines about San Francisco 49er’s quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the national anthem at the start of games. In response to questions about his refusal to stand, Kaepernick said the following: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Kaepernick’s protest has warranted polarized reactions. Throughout the past two weeks, I’ve seen everything from Kaepernick jersey burnings, to some calling for the quarterback’s banning from the NFL. Opinions on both sides of the situation have clogged every social media feed and news source that I come across these days. Although it seems that everyone feels the need to give their opinion on the situation, I’m not here to do that. However, I find myself puzzled. Why does an NFL player exercising his constitutional right cause more outrage than when another NFL player is convicted of domestic abuse?
This conundrum was brought to my attention by a viral Facebook post by Carrie Sutherland in which she states:
“I didn't see anyone burning Ray Rice jerseys when that mother fucker knocked his girlfriend out on camera. I didn't see anyone burning Tyreek Hill jerseys when that bitch pleaded guilty to punching his pregnant girlfriend. I haven't seen anyone burning one of the forty-four jerseys worn by NFL players who have been accused of rape. But you guys keep burning the jersey of someone who is protesting the injustices in this country, while not giving a fuck about the disgusting shit your idols do. Just once I wish y'all could care about some shit that actually matters. Buncha bitches. All of you.”
While I don’t agree with everything said by Sutherland, her post did make me think. Where were the jersey burnings when former Miami Wide Receiver, Chad Johnson (formerly Ochocinco), was arrested for head-butting his wife leaving her with forehead lacerations? Where were the requests to ban the Carolina Panthers’ Greg Hardy from the NFL when he was found guilty of assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend? As Sutherland mentioned in her post, Ray Rice was caught on video assaulting his wife in an Atlantic City Casino. Initially, he was suspended from the NFL indefinitely, but was reinstated after a court-ruled that it was arbitrary, and he is now preparing to make a comeback. A social media trend called the “Ray Rice Burning Challenge” challenge circulated on the internet momentarily, but the reaction seems miniscule compared to the backlash faced by Kaepernick. These examples only cover a few of the 80 NFL players who have been arrested for domestic violence in the past 14 years.
Now I want to be clear. I’m not saying that those who disagree with Kaepernick’s stance should not voice their opinion. But, what if we were as vocal about domestic violence as we were with someone who refuses to stand for our national anthem? What if we united to bring an issue such as this to light?
Each year, 10 million people, men and women, are victims of domestic violence. According to a study by the AVON Foundation for Women, 60 percent of Americans know someone who is a victim of domestic violence. Only around half of incidents are reported to police. While I understand that victims do not come forward for a variety of reasons, does a lack of conversation about the issue leave victims in the dark? Imagine the impact if we started making a bigger deal of domestic violence, not only in the NFL, but across every platform that serves this great nation.
