So, how in the world does a quarterback, a former Super Bowl starter who appears to be on the downward side of his career before he reaches age 30, create such a stir over the treatment of Afro-Americans, especially men, in this country? The question I have is actually a lot different, but I'll get to that in a minute. While the consensus, at least on my Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as in my circle of friends, is that San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick sitting his rich tush down for the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is disrespectful at best and disgusting at worst. But no one, including the NFL and the 49ers brass, questions his right to expression and speech. His general reason for his protest is listed above, and so far, the only specific reason that I can find on the record for his protest revolves around alleged acts of police brutality across the country. In a locker room interview, Kaepernick was asked what specifically has to change for the protests to end, and his answer was vague enough to tell me there isn't a list, and if there were it could certainly be added to in the interest of perpetuating the protest. To his credit, he said he was willing to pay the price for his protest. That's a good thing, because once his current contract expires after the 2017 season, he's done. To be honest, if someone would pick up the contract now, he wouldn't be a 49er. The league caught up to his talent, and any future he had, whether it be in coaching, broadcasting or any other capacity, appears to have gone fffffft! Right out the door. My question is now, “what is Colin Kaepernick going to do now that he has all this attention?” I mean, awareness is good, dialogue is better. But for actual change to come about, Kaepernick is going to have to do much more that just sit on the bench for a very specific two-minute stretch every week. Let's not kid ourselves here. Most of us living in Kosciusko County and the adjacent areas have no idea what it's like to not be able to fully trust the cops. The bigger the force, the more likely it is to have some bad apples in there. And law enforcement is being called on to serve an increasingly ungrateful public. So often I hear “if they don't want to do the job, they shouldn't be cops.” Logic tells me we're going to lose a lot more good cops than bad with that attitude. Several sources report the 49ers are going to cut Kaepernick after their final preseason game Thursday night. The cut would be performance-based, but his protest certainly isn’t helping. What team wants that locker room distraction? So if he’s really interested in change, he could use what’s left of his platform to bring people together to effect that change. But from where I'm standing for the anthem, it seems Kaepernick wants to delegate that responsibility to someone else. I heard a very wise man say “no one wants to get on a train that's not going anywhere.” Since it appears he’ll have plenty of time on his hands beginning next week, and plenty of income to go with it, he should start with a ride-along; walk a mile in the shoes of cops, as it were. Put his degree in business management to good use; start a foundation to help people, regardless of race, avoid situations where they’re dealing with cops at all. There’s plenty of work to be done, and Kaepernick will have a combination of time, money and youth that is the stuff of dreams for the rest of us. Ultimately, it will be up to Kaepernick to decide if he's going to literally stand for something, or metaphorically continue to sit on the sidelines. Mr. Kaepernick, you wanted the ball. You got it, but make no mistake, this is your last chance.
