Morning sports update: How Roger Goodell says he would apologize to Colin Kaepernick
"That misrepresentation of who they were, what they were doing, is a the thing that really gnawed at me."
The Celtics defeated the 76ers 110-106 on Sunday to complete the four-game sweep. Boston will face the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the NBA playoffs starting with Game 1 on Thursday.
The Bruins won Game 1 of the series against the Lightning, 3-2. Game 2 gets underway on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The Red Sox lost to the Orioles 5-4. And Dustin Johnson won the Northern Trust at TPC Boston on Sunday, finishing the four-day tournament at a remarkable 30-under.
Roger Goodell on Colin Kaepernick: In a recent interview with NFL analyst (and former linebacker) Emmanuel Acho on the video series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell offered a frank admission about his stance on Colin Kaepernick.
Goodell said that despite trying, he was never able to sit down with the former 49ers quarterback. Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 when he began kneeling during the national anthem to raise awareness about racial injustice and police brutality.
When asked by Acho how he might apologize to Kaepernick, Goodell admitted the NFL was slow in hearing the message.
“Well, the first thing I’d say is I wish we had listened earlier, Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to,” Goodell said. “We had invited him in several times to have the conversation, to have the dialogue. I wish we had the benefit of that. We never did. We would have benefited from that, absolutely.”
Though Goodell presided over an NFL policy that focused on getting players to stand for the anthem following Kaepernick’s initial decision to kneel, he said that he now understands it wasn’t a move intended as a sign of disrespect.
“It is not about the flag,” said Goodell. “The message here is that what our players are doing is being mischaracterized. These are not people who are unpatriotic, they’re not disloyal, they’re not against our military.
“In fact, many of those guys were in the military, and they’re a military family,” Goodell continued. “What they were trying to do is exercise their right to bring attention to something that needs to get fixed. And that misrepresentation of who they were, what they were doing, is a the thing that really gnawed at me.”
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man: The National Anthem Protest- PT. 1
NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, & I discuss Colin Kaepernick & the protests during the national anthem that polarized America. pic.twitter.com/PcL02732ys
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) August 23, 2020
Trivia: Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown each averaged more than 20 points per game in the Celtics’ 4-0 sweep of the 76ers. The last time three Celtics accomplished such a feat in a playoff series was 1991. Who were the three Celtics to do it that year?
(Answer at the bottom)
Hint: Robert Parish was not one of those players.
More from Boston.com:
- Jaroslav Halak stops 35, Bruins hang on for 3-2 win over Lightning
- Celtics sweep 76ers, advance to second round
- Orioles top last-place Red Sox 5-4
- N’Keal Harry returns, Jarrett Stidham still limited at Patriots’ camp
- Here’s the schedule for the Celtics-Raptors playoff series
- Tiger Woods takes a step forward on Sunday in Norton
- NFL has 77 apparently false positive COVID-19 tests from lab
- Mike Milbury is stepping away from NBC Sports for the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Bruins’ “perfection line” in one GIF
: Patrice Bergeron, four-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner, stole the puck close to the Lightning net before finding David Pastrnak. Pastrnak intuitively knew where fellow line-mate Brad Marchand would be, and slid a no-look pass across goal.
Waiting at the end, Marchand, having shed the Lightning defense, stood wide open to apply the finish at the far post.
This is why 37 has four Selkes.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/gFZOHEno3T
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) August 24, 2020
Mike Yastrzemski marked grandfather Carl’s 81st birthday with a trademark “Yaz” catch:
YAZ HE DID! 😲
@mikeyaz18 | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/6shb333svZ
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 23, 2020
On this day: In 2008, the “Redeem Team” won gold at the 2008 Olympics, defeating Spain 118-107.
On 8/24/08, Kobe Bryant led USA Basketball back to Gold Medal glory.
An Olympic team loaded with superstar talent turned to Kobe in the 4th quarter. He scored 13 points in the final 8 minutes as the ‘Redeem Team’ defeated Spain in Beijing.pic.twitter.com/2i8UxHNCwX
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) January 27, 2020
Daily highlight: Luka Doncic capped a memorable playoff performance (43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists) with a buzzer-beating game-winner against the Clippers to help the Mavericks to their playoff series, 2-2:
Trivia answer: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Reggie Lewis.
Get Boston.com's browser alerts:
Enable breaking news notifications straight to your internet browser.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com