Dez Bryant Blasts Colin Kaepernick for Having ‘No Call to Action’ After Launching His National Anthem Protest
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant claims to “love” Colin Kaepernick, but he followed that admiration with a very unforgiving assessment of the ex-quarterback’s activism.
In 2016, Kaepernick was the first high-profile athlete to kneel during the national anthem at a professional sporting event, a form of protest that thousands would eventually follow during a time of heightened social unrest. But Bryant recently joined the I Am Athlete podcast with Brandon Marshall, Chad Ochocinco, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder, and blasted Kaepernick for what he considers to be an empty promise.
“I respect Colin Kaepernick, but it’s one thing that I don’t respect and I said when I get the opportunity to get on the stage and say it, I would say it and I love him to death, it ain’t no hate or nothing like that,” Bryant said.
“But brother, you had the biggest opportunity in the world to create jobs, to build jobs, to give jobs to people. The people you were talking about. The people that you were so-called ‘standing up for.’ People who stood beside you, people who lost their jobs because of you. Where you at? I ain’t heard from you. He brought the awareness and that’s why I respect him.”
Marshall jumped in and asked, “where’s the call to action?”
“There wasn’t one, there wasn’t no call to action,” Bryant answered.
This is not the first time Bryant criticized Kaepernick’s actions. In 2017, Bryant stated he would not kneel during the anthem and would instead go about raising awareness for social injustices a different way. Two years later, Bryant again criticized Kaepernick for having “no preparation and/or solution behind” the protests he launched.
Bryant may not be a fan of the change Kaepernick has inspired, but to say there was “no call to action” is simply uninformed. After being exiled from his multimillion-dollar football career, Kaepernick founded the Know Your Rights Camp, a campaign to help Black and Brown communities through education, while also instructing people how to properly interact with law enforcement.
In 2019, Kaepernick launched his own publishing company, with the goal of providing a platform to writers with diverse backgrounds and views. Earlier this year Kaepernick began raising nearly $300 million for a social justice SPAC, he also donated $1.75 million to Covid relief near the start of the pandemic.
Since 2016, Kaepernick has maintained a lucrative income through endorsement deals, especially his partnership with Nike. But once one of the brightest young stars in the NFL, Kaepernick’s activism easily cost him $100 million of football money when his professional career ended at 29-years-old.
Watch above via I AM ATHLETE.
