Ex-Patriots tackle Sebastian Vollmer has made clear statements about Colin Kaepernick and his protests. The German, who played for New England for a total of seven years, praised Kaepernick and provided insights into how a team deals with protests by individual players.
Kaepernick had begun two years ago to kneel before the games during the anthem in order to draw attention to social inequalities and the problem of racism in the USA. Subsequently, ongoing debates ensued – which, however, mostly focused more on the nature of the protest during the anthem than on the problem itself. Last but not least, President Donald Trump regularly poured oil on the fire here and called on the League to severely punish protests during the anthem and in front of the flag.
This debate has intensified once again in recent weeks as Nike decided to make Kaepernick the face of a new advertising campaign. In an interview with t-online, Vollmer now emphasized: “Kaepernick probably didn’t expect his protest to make such a big stir at the beginning. Not only in the USA. It’s a huge topic here.”
Images circulating in the social media show people burning their Nike shoes out of anger. For Nike, a huge international corporation, this was probably a calculated risk. In principle, two years after the protests began, the problem is still unsolved.”
At the same time, Kaepernick, who has not been able to find a team since March 2017, finds it even worse “that he may not find a new team. He may never play in the NFL again. Many people here believe that he is no longer good enough and therefore no longer plays. “In principle, Kaepernick should be applauded for his courage.”
Within a team, Vollmer is certain, “it’s not such a big deal. If a player wants to protest, it doesn’t bother anyone in the team. You see yourself as a family on a team. Some may have a different opinion from time to time, but the teams always stand together and don’t get split on such issues either.”
The league also made a statement during the Nike campaign: “The National Football League believes in dialogue, understanding and unity. We appreciate the role and responsibility of everyone in our sport to promote important, positive changes in our communities. The issue of social justice, which Colin and other professional athletes have put at the centre of attention, deserves our attention and our actions.”