Colin Kaepernick’s protesting has been all the buzz for the past few weeks. The 49ers quarterback publicly sat (then knelt) during the playing of the national anthem to protest social injustice, namely police brutality.
He has received plenty of criticism from opponents of his protest and has handled all of it quite gracefully. He has done it so well, in fact, that many others across the NFL and even other sports have joined in on his fight.
The NBA season has yet to start but plenty of players and coaches have already expressed their opinions. Most have been supportive of Kaepernick’s protest without proclaiming whether they will join in once the season begins.
One player is making his decision early. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green told reporters during media day that he would not kneel or put his fist up during the anthem. Nevertheless, he reiterated his support for Kaepernick and pleaded that people discuss his message, rather than his actions (via Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News):
I respect Colin for that because he took a stand, that he knew would probably create some controversy. And he didn’t care. And I respect that because sometimes controversy is needed in order to get the point across. And I think he’s gotten his point across. But my question is like what’s next?…
And of course if everyone wants to talk about Colin, and he’s disrespecting America. No, we’re going to talk about what he’s doing and try to sweep what he’s really talking about under the rug. I think it’s quite ridiculous, to be quite frank. Am I going to kneel down and put my fist up, no I’m not. That’s no disrespect to Colin or anybody else that’s doing it. But they’ve gotten the point across. I don’t think I need to come out and do a National Anthem protest. Because it’s already been started. There’s already a conversation.
The Warriors have been an especially vocal group regarding Kaep’s protest and social issues as a whole. Green, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant have all publicly explained that they back Kaepernick for speaking his mind. Head coach Steve Kerr has had impassioned quotes about the importance of the message. The organization, led by GM Bob Myers, has even planned a panel for the athletes to discuss social issues such as police brutality and race.
Ultimately, Draymond Green and every other player should have the right to protest during the anthem or not. But as Green eloquently put it, the main point of contention should be the message not the means.