Colin Kaepernick Meals On Wheels: Quarterback Caught ‘Standing Up’ For Country
Previously a quarterback for the 49ers, Colin Kaepernick has not yet been signed to any team since becoming a free agent for the first time in his 6-year career. Mercury News reported that an anonymous AFC general manager stated that three things are keeping Colin Kaepernick from being signed.
“First, some teams genuinely believe that he can’t play. They think he’s shot. I’d put that number around 20 percent.
“Second, some teams fear the backlash from fans after getting him. They think there might be protests or (President) Trump will tweet about the team. I’d say that number is around 10 percent. Then there’s another 10 percent that has a mix of those feelings.
“Third, the rest genuinely hate him and can’t stand what he did [kneeling for the national anthem]. They want nothing to do with him. I think some teams also want to use Kaepernick as a cautionary tale to stop other players in the future from doing what he did.”
Last year, when Kaepernick began kneeling for the National Anthem, ESPN reported the quarterback’s reasoning.
“At what point do we do something about it? At what point do we take a stand and as a people say this isn’t right? You have a badge, yes. You’re supposed to be protecting us, not murdering us, and that’s what the issue really is and we need to change that.”
After continuously kneeling during the National Anthem this past season, the controversial quarterback decided that he is done kneeling and will stand his upcoming season. According to ESPN, Colin Kaepernick reportedly claims that he does not want his silent protest of kneeling to divert attention away from the changes he plans on making in society.
Kaepernick has invested in numerous organizations. His organization pledged to donate $1 million to initiatives that help those less fortunate. The San Francisco 49ers matched his monetary donation dollar for dollar to help organizations that support at-risk communities.
Colin Kaepernick, most recently, made a $50,000 donation to Meals on Wheels America and the Love Army for Somalia. Since deciding to begin his social justice crusade, Kaepernick has donated approximately $500,000 to different groups and charities. He has donated to Black Veterans for Social Justice, the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights, and the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Thank you @Kaepernick7 for supporting seniors through your words and actions.https://t.co/2PBpeWh5lC
— Meals on Wheels (@_MealsOnWheels) March 21, 2017
Arguably, the most talked about donation Colin Kaepernick has made was to Meals on Wheels America. A charity that has been bringing meals to senior citizens since the 1950s, Meals on Wheels hit the news when it was announced that President Trump was planning to cut the federal funding for the program.
At a rally on Monday, in Kentucky, President Donald Trump slammed Colin Kaepernick for refusing to stand up for the National Anthem.
“There was an article today, that NFL owners don’t want to pick Kaepernick up because they don’t want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump. Do you believe that? I said If I remember that one, I’m gonna report it to the people of Kentucky because they like it when people actually stand for the American flag.”
Kaepernick responded to President Trump’s remarks with money. He reportedly made the donation to Meals on Wheels to make a point. NY Times reported that the former quarterback chose to donate to Meals on Wheels America because the program was facing reduced federal funding if President Trump’s budget was to be approved.
The press coverage of the Meals on Wheels budget cut is grossly exaggerated. News reports claiming that President Trump is “eliminating the Meals on Wheels program” neglect to inform the public that the Community Development Block Grant, which is being eliminated, only constitutes a small portion of the overall funding for the Meals on Wheels program.
A post shared by Meals on Wheels America (@mealsonwheelsamerica) on
President Trump announced a total budget cut of $3 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The cutting of this block grant only costs Meals on Wheels 3 percent of their total budget. Actually, as a result of President Trump’s budget cut announcement, the program has taken in donations that equal more than 50 times what they would normally receive on a daily basis.
Both Colin Kaepernick and President Trump had a hand in increasing the monetary gains of Meals on Wheels. At this point in time, it doesn’t matter if the budget cut is approved or not. President Trump and Kaepernick have made sure Meals on Wheels have enough money to serve the community.
Colin Kaepernick once made controversial headlines for kneeling. Do you think he should be praised for finally standing for the country he lives in?
[Featured Image by Harry How/Getty Images]
