Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not absolving people like Stephen A. Smith, Jason Whitlock, and Jim Brown from the ‘coon’ category. There are a lot of things that someone like Charles Barkley says that make me shake my head in disgust. What I’m saying, is that I haven’t been listening to the messenger, but to the message that has been given to Colin Kaepernick. Snoop Dogg, Mike Vick, and Ray Lewis have all the same thing. You can’t be a revolutionary and a football player at the same time. It is unfair but true, the corporate entities, and rich white folks who control the livelihood of these athletes and entertainers don’t want them to speak out. They have a choice to make, do you want to make money or be an advocate? Do you want freedom or fame?
The three people I mentioned Snoop Dogg, Ray Lewis, and Mike Vick have all had their careers dangled in front of them. All three have been in a position where all their work towards becoming successful has been on the verge of crumbling. Mike Vick served jail time for dog fighting, while Snoop Dogg, and Ray Lewis were charged for murder. These guys know about conforming. They know about playing by the rules. They understand that you can’t say or do what you want and not suffer the consequences. No, Colin Kaepernick hasn’t commit a crime, but he is going against the status quo of what these corporations want their employees to be.