U.S. Army veteran stunned by negative reaction to Kaepernick kneeling

[Amy-Strange]

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U.S. Army veteran stunned by negative reaction to Kaepernick kneeling

(Reuters) – A former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces who advised Colin Kaepernick that kneeling during the national anthem would be a more respectful protest than remaining seated on the bench says he had no idea the gesture would become so controversial.

Nate Boyer, who served six years in the Army and also tried out for Seattle as a long snapper, met with Kaepernick in 2016 when the then-San Francisco quarterback began his protests aimed at drawing attention to police brutality against minorities.

Boyer had written a piece in an Army newspaper about the protests, which involved the quarterback sitting on the sidelines during the customary pre-game airing of the anthem, and said Kaepernick sought him out for advice.

“The thoughts that ran through my head about kneeling were of pictures in the history books of somebody kneeling before the king to be knighted, somebody proposing to their wife, taking a knee to pray in the Catholic Church,” Boyer told Reuters.

“I just couldn’t think in any way that it could be construed as disrespectful.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/us-army-veteran-stunned-by-negative-reaction-to-kaepernick-kneeling/ar-BB15fEbN?ocid=spartanntp
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[Doodley]

1. A black man having the nerve to protest? Of course it would be taken as an affront

to the white racists of America.

[Skittles]

3. yes

I think any gesture of protest from a black man will have the racists foaming at the mouth.

[barbtries]

2. it was a stretch

to characterize it as disrespectful, but that's the spin republicans decided to go with. heaven forbid they should acknowledge the validity of black people's grievances.

i am hopeful that this is changing.