Skip to content

Colin Kaepernick owed 'a tremendous amount' for his sacrifice, says Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson calls for "significant change" and vows "to do everything we can to be a part of that change".

Colin Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season
Image: Colin Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season

Colin Kaepernick is owed a "tremendous amount" for taking a stand against police brutality and racial oppression back in 2016, says Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick's decision to kneel in protest during the American national anthem four years ago - and his inability to get back into the NFL since the 2016 season - has been a subject for reflection in the league in the wake of George Floyd's death.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black American, died after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, reigniting the issue of police brutality against African Americans - sparking protests in the US and across the world.

"I think that there was a moment in time that a young man captured. He took a stand on something, figuratively took a knee, but he stood up for something he believed in and what an extraordinary moment it was that he was willing to take," Carroll said while speaking on The Ringer's "Flying Coach" podcast.

A protester wears a Colin Kaepernick jersey outside city hall in Louisville, Kentucky in May 2020
Image: A protester wears a Kaepernick jersey outside city hall in Louisville, Kentucky in May 2020

"But what happened from the process is it elevated awareness from people that just took everything away from what the statement was all about, and it just got tugged and pulled and ripped apart.

"And the whole mission of what the statement was, it's still the statement that we're making right today.

"We're not protecting our people. We're not looking after one another. We're not making the right choices. We're not following the right process to bring people to justice when actions are taken. So I think it was a big sacrifice in the sense that a young man makes, but those are the courageous moments that some guys take.

Also See:

"And we owe a tremendous amount to him for sure."

Wilson: We need significant change

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson says NFL matters are not important amid the ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Speaking to the media for the first time since the end of last season, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was not interested in talking about sport.

"To be honest with you, I don't even want to talk about football right now", Wilson said during a video conference on Wednesday.

"You know, that's a thing that I don't even know what that looks like down the road or anything else. I think that none of that matters. I can't compare football to life and what the black community is going through right now.

"A guy was murdered last week. There needs to be a change. There needs to be a change. It's not overly complicated.

"This is going to take real significant change, and sometimes those things take time.

"But the reality is this didn't just happen yesterday. This doesn't happen just yesterday or two days ago. This has been going on for years. And I believe that we're going to do everything we can to be a part of that change."

Around Sky