President Donald Trump spoke about Colin Kaepernick’s possible second chance with the NFL today during an interview, and he appeared to do an about-face after recently being outspoken against professional players kneeling in protest. Journalist Scott Thuman, chief political correspondent for Sinclair and Full Measure, tweeted an excerpt from his interview with the president earlier today.
In the 30-second clip, the journalist and Trump stood socially distanced outside. Thuman asked the president about sports and kneeling. Specifically, the reporter wanted to know if President Trump felt that former NFL Colin Kaepernick, who famously took a knee in protest of police brutality, deserved a second chance.
“If he deserves it, he should. If he has the playing ability. He started off great, and then he didn’t end up very great in terms of a player. He was terrific in his rookie year. I think he was very good in his second year, and then something happened, so his playing wasn’t up to snuff. The answer is absolutely, I would. As far as kneeling, I would love to see him get another shot, but obviously, he has to be able to play well. If he can’t play well, I think it would be very unfair.”
"Absolutely I would," support @Kaepernick7 getting a 2nd shot in the @NFL — @POTUS in my interview today on racism, policing, statues & yes–sports. #ColinKaepernick pic.twitter.com/0B83cNbesW
— Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) June 17, 2020
The answer came as something of a surprise because, at one point, Trump was very outspoken about his displeasure at seeing the then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback kneeling in peaceful protest. He even said any player who knelt should be let go from the team. Recently, President Trump threatened to boycott the NFL after Commissioner Roger Goodell seemed to reverse the league’s previous position on kneeling during the national anthem. In a statement, the association said that it did not properly handle the situation when players knelt in protest previously, according to The Inquisitr. The president retweeted others who have been outspoken about the NFL and U.S. Soccer for allowing players to kneel during the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Trump’s answer came amid national protests and civil unrest after George Floyd died in the custody of four now-former Minneapolis police officers. Yesterday, in the White House Rose Garden, he signed an executive order regarding safe policing with several prominent law enforcement officials gathered around him. Still, many of the families of black men and women who have died were not there.
As for Kaepernick, he played six seasons in the NFL, and he has been out of the league since 2016, Yahoo Sports reported.