Colin Kaepernick Protests Defended By Arian Foster

The Colin Kaepernick protests have been a real hot-button topic around the nation recently, with folks even outside of the NFL world learning a great deal about the San Francisco 49ers QB. Now another outspoken player has voiced his support of Kaepernick, and that individual is Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster.

Foster came out in defense of the Colin Kaepernick protests even if he doesn’t fully agree with what the QB has been doing.

“I don’t necessarily see that as a solution to anything,” Foster said to the Miami Herald. “This is me talking. This is Arian talking. If that’s what he felt, that’s his form of protest, I support his right to protest. Those are his thoughts, his opinions.”

“I understand 100 percent what he’s doing. He’s frustrated, just like me. He’s just like my brother. He’s just like my cousins out there. He’s frustrated. It’s hard seeing people get murdered and killed without repercussions.”

Not standing for the national anthem has been the Colin Kaepernick protest method throughout the preseason, and he has vowed to continue taking this stand until change is made.

The senseless violence by police against those in the African-American communities is what has fueled the Colin Kaepernick protests. And the quarterback has been very adamant about his distaste for the way people of color have been treated in America, even in the face of adversity.

This comment from NASCAR driver Tony Stewart regarding the Colin Kaepernick protests spurred Arian Foster to come to the defense of the 49ers QB.

how about attempting to educate him via your views instead of fueling hatred. you can get ahold of him if you want. https://t.co/8jubLu7XFO

— feeno (@ArianFoster) August 29, 2016

And Foster makes a terrific point about the Colin Kaepernick protests and just how uninformed the opinions of many folks attacking him over taking a stand really seem. The rights in America apply to all, not just those you agree with or think see things as they should be seen. It seems Foster’s defense of Kaepernick is rooted in this belief.

“I speak my mind,” Foster said. “I’m active in the communities. I try to educate young brothers that are in gangs and victims of what people don’t understand — this is a systemic problem that’s been going on for generations.”

So while racism is at the heart of the Colin Kaepernick protests, it’s somewhat ironic that prejudices are the main reason why so many are upset at something they can’t possibly understand. Even his former coach, Jim Harbaugh, chimed in and condemned his former QB as pointed out by the Inquisitr.

It’s hard to truly grasp the underlying issues behind the Colin Kaepernick protests unless you’ve gone through similar persecution in your past and have a first-hand knowledge of just how prevalent racism still is in America. Leave to Foster to properly highlight this concept and attempt to inform the uninformed of just why this issue isn’t going away anytime soon.

“There are effects that I grew up with and had to deal with emotional issues growing up with domestic violence in my house,” Foster explained via Pro Football Talk. “That’s one generation removed. Now here’s 300 years of slavery, you’ve seen your people get people, have them told you aren’t anything. Written in laws that they’re three-fifths a human being for 300 years. You’re telling me there’s no psychological effects that won’t trickle down in your bloodline? Of course there are. Until this country addresses is, this will happen.”

The human psyche is a complex idea, and these Colin Kaepernick protests only serve to underline that fact. No one persecuting Kaepernick over his stance can truly understand the experiences he’s gone through in his life or the effect that those incidents have had on him as a person. Until we all take a step back and try to see things from another point of view, the divide between us all will only continue to widen.

[Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for New Era]