Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll believes the country owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Carroll joined Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich on The Ringer's Flying Coach podcast, saying Kaepernick helped to raise more awareness surrounding issues of police brutality (transcript via Nick Friedell of ESPN):
“I think that there was a moment in time that a young man captured. He took a stand on something, figuratively took a knee, but he stood up for something he believed in — and what an extraordinary moment it was that he was willing to take …
“… But what happened from the process is it elevated awareness from people that just took everything away from what the statement was all about, and it just got tugged and pulled and ripped apart.”
Carroll added Kaepernick made a “big sacrifice” in order to make his stand, which is a statement that speaks volumes.
Kaepernick essentially lost his job due to his decision to kneel during the national anthem at the start of games. He opted out of his contract in March of 2017, but only after the Niners said they would be cutting him. Kaepernick remains unsigned.
From a societal perspective, Carroll is right about how much Kaepernick's peaceful protests really mean in hindsight.
But from a football perspective, these are empty words. Other NFL owners — including Jerry Jones — have said they believe in what Kaepernick stood for, yet none have shown any indication they would sign him to a contract. The Seahawks themselves had an interest in Kaepernick in 2018 but passed on signing him after Kaepernick would not commit to stopping his sideline protests.
Nevertheless, Kaepernick's protest has garnered more admiration and attention in light of the ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd.
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