Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson says recent events have lent new meaning to Colin Kaepernick's protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
Wilson spent some time on a conference call with Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, saying Kaepernick “was trying to symbolize the right thing” in his decision to kneel during the national anthem.
Russell Wilson says there has to be “radical changes” to our system. Says Colin Kaepernick was standing up for something way greater than was understood at the time. pic.twitter.com/XKQ5Z5AWLj
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) June 3, 2020
The Seahawks franchise quarterback also reflected more on the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody last Monday in Minneapolis via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk):
“The God that I believe in, the Jesus that I believe in has sacrificed for us all, and I think at the end of the day, for me, I want to love like Jesus did,” Wilson said in a conference call, via video from Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “I want to be able to care like Jesus did. Hopefully, . . . our family and everybody else that I can hopefully have an influence on will continue to grow with me and with us and everybody else. Like I said, I don’t want to talk about football. I think about the pain of George. I think about Ahmaud [Arbery]. I think about Breonna [Taylor]. I think about these people who have been murdered. It’s a lot of pain on my heart right now.”
The 31-year-old has remained vocal since first learning of Floyd's death.
Wilson said on Monday he has “fear” for his children, adding there must be a concerted effort among members of American society to make a change, via the Seahawks' star's Twitter.
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) June 1, 2020
The other reality is that Wilson has a different kind of platform, given he is one of the few black quarterbacks in the NFL.
But as Wilson suggested, he is not thinking about football. Instead, he is reflecting on what Kaepernick's protest stood for and what it can mean going forward as he continues to fight against racial injustice.
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