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Ed Reed on NFL Messages on Social Justice: ‘We Knew These Messages … What We Really Do’
SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon joins Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed to get his thoughts on the NFL’s new social justice messages appearing on end zones this year. Reed was quite blunt about what ‘messages’ mean at this point.
USA TODAY
While reflecting on a season with former San Francisco 49ers team-mate Colin Kaepernick, Alex Smith says Kaepernick’s absence from football is a tragedy.
“It’s so tragic to watch. I think (Kaepernick) was ahead of his time and definitely tried to call for social injustice, especially around police reform,” the Washington Football Team quarterback said on The Ringer’s podcast 10 questions with Kyle Brandt said.
“The country was not ready,” Smith said. “Nobody was ready for that. And he’s sitting there trying to tell everyone in a peaceful way about the things that have been going on in this country for a long time, and to see the setback that happened, it hurts. “The country was not ready for that, and he had the consequences.”
When Kaepernick knelt down during the national anthem in 2016 to peacefully protest police brutality and systemic racism, he experienced the national setback. Kaepernick became a free agent at the end of the 2016-2017 season after opting out of his 49ers contract and has not played a discount in the NFL since.
Smith remembers Kaepernick as a calm, respectful and talented teammate and says, “it doesn’t make sense yet” that Kaepernick is no longer playing in the league.
Smith, 36, and Kaepernick, 33, played together in San Francisco in 2011 and 2012. Kaepernick was the starting quarterback of the 49ers in 2012, the year they reached the Super Bowl. In his first NFL playoff game, Kaepernick led the 49ers to an NFC West division against the Green Bay Packers, who rushed an NFL record of 181 yards. Kaepernick led the 49ers to a championship win against the Atlanta Falcons before falling short in Super Bowl 47 against the Baltimore Ravens.
“The run-up to the end of last year when we were together and then went to the Super Bowl … was so crazy to watch,” Smith said. ‘Truly one of the historic runs in football. It’s crazy to only adjust a few minutes later that he was not in the league. Could not even comprehend it. Could not understand it. It still does not make sense. ”
“It was clear that he was incredibly brave and I’m definitely proud of him, to even know him and what he did,” Smith said. “He lost his livelihood. Probably one of the guys, I felt the brightest future was ahead of him. A few years later fast forward and I think we were all like ‘he obviously tried to tell something and knew it’s. “To see what has happened over the past year and hopefully will continue to happen in the future. You hope (Kaepernick) will not be the answer and the solution.
Contact Analyst Bailey at [email protected] or on Twitter @analisbailey.