While former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch has been relatively reclusive with the media throughout his career, the 30-year-old had more than a few words to unleash regarding Colin Kaepernick’s silent protest of the national anthem.
“I’d rather see him take a knee than stand up, put his hands up and get murdered,” Lynch told TBS’ Conan Tuesday (Sept. 20), choosing to assert his full support for the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback amid mixed feedback from fellow African-American athletes on the matter.
As Kaepernick faces death threats for choosing not to pledge allegiance to a nation that reeks of unjustifiable police brutality against the black community, the Super Bowl XLVIII champion calls the bluff of those who have turned a blind eye to the root of Kaepernick’s cause.
“I just hope people open up their eyes to see that it’s really a problem going on and something needs to be done for it to stop,” he said. “I mean, if you’re really not racist, then you won’t see what he’s doing as a threat to America but just addressing the problem that we have.”