Ravens head coach John Harbaugh defends Kaepernick’s right to sit during the National Anthem

Photo courtesy of baltimoreravens.com.

No matter how much you know or don’t know about Colin Kaepernick, one thing is certain — he opened up Pandora’s Box when he decided to sit during the National Anthem before a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.

Everyone has their own take on this matter, but it’s safe to say a lot of people were livid when they read about this event in the news.

“I am not going to stand up or show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of any color,” Kaepernick said to the media after the game. “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.”

Kaepernick didn’t stop there. He also took this opportunity to throw shade at our two main presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

“I think the two presidential candidates that we currently have also represent the issues that we currently have in this country right now,” Kaepernick said. “You have Hillary who’s called black teens or black kids super predators. You have Donald Trump who is openly racist. We have a presidential candidate who deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me. Because if that was any other person, you’d be in prison. So what is this country really standing for?”

If you go on any form of social media, you will see people using racial slurs at Kaepernick and others burning his jersey.

However, former Raven Anquan Boldin, who also played with Kaepernick in San Francisco, gave his two cents on the matter.

“I respect everybody’s opinion,” said Boldin shortly after his new team, the Lions, lost to the Ravens during a preseason game in Baltimore. “Everybody has one. I’m sure he is going to get flack for it, what he did, but that’s the great thing about being in America, you have that option.”

Boldin also said you have to respect someone’s opinion and how they feel about something.

“You can agree or disagree with it but you still have to respect it,” he said.

Baltimore Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, also recognized the right that Kaepernick has to sit during the National Anthem.

“I may not agree with what you say, but I’ll defend it until death your right to say it,” he said. “That’s a principle that our country is founded on. I don’t think you cannot deny someone the right to speak out or mock or make fun of or belittle anybody else’s opinion.”

Unlike many other people, Harbaugh decided to take the high road when he was questioned about a controversial and touchy topic. He treated this situation with eloquence and grace.

Harbaugh deserves credit for composing himself in a professional manner, something the Ravens should take great pride in.

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About Conner Scott Disotelle 53 Articles
Conner Scott Disotelle is an alumni of Urbana High School and is a current Sport Communication major at Shepherd University. Conner has been an NFL enthusiast since he was 8 years old and his passion for the game will never burn out. Conner has high school experience in football and lacrosse and has collegiate experience in rugby. In May of 2016, Conner joined Maryland Sports Access with the intention of being a beat writer for the Ravens and he hasn't looked back since then. Conner aspires to be an NFL journalist for NFL Network, CBS, NBC, FOX, or ESPN and also plans on writing articles for NFL.com one day.

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