Rodney Harrison apologizes for comments concerning Colin Kaepernick’s race
Harrison originally said Kaepernick was "not black" before saying he "never even knew he was mixed."
After weighing in on the controversy regarding 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem as a protest against racial injustice, former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison apologized for his original remarks on Tuesday.
Having initially charged that Kaepernick was “not black,” Harrison took to Twitter in light of the backlash that his statement created:
I never intended to offend anyone , I was trying to speak about my experiences as a African American.
— Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) August 30, 2016
I apologize to anyone that I offended , wasn’t meant to be hurtful to anyone. God bless
— Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) August 30, 2016
Last point I want people to know. I never even knew he was mixed.
— Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) August 30, 2016
I should not have called Colin Kaepernick’s race into question during this morning’s radio interview. It was a mistake and I apologize.
— Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) August 30, 2016
Harrison’s earlier remarks occurred during a radio appearance with Lance Zierlein and Matt Thomas of Houston’s SportsTalk 790 in which he made a bold assertion about Kaepernick:
I tell you this, I’m a black man. And Colin Kaepernick — he’s not black. He can not understand what I face and what other young black men and black people face, or people of color face, on a every single (day) basis. When you walk in a grocery store, and you might have $2,000 or $3,000 in your pocket and you go up in to a Foot Locker and they’re looking at you like you about to steal something.
You know, I don’t think he faces those type of things that we face on a daily basis.
Kaepernick, 28, was born to a white mother and an African American father in Wisconsin before being adopted by a white couple.
Harrison supported Kaepernick’s basic stance, saying that “his heart is in the right place.” Still, he maintained that Kaepernick doesn’t fully comprehend what he’s protesting:
I’m not saying he has to be black, but I’m saying, his heart is in the right place, but even with what he’s doing, he still doesn’t understand the injustices as a black man, or people of color, that’s what I’m saying.
The original comments made by Kaepernick following the preseason protest were reported by Steve Wyche of the NFL Network:
I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.
ESPN anchor Sage Steele offered her thoughts in a tweet directly aimed at Harrison:
.@Rodney_Harrison ..ppl like u claim us biracial kids when it’s convenient for u. That’s a racist, dbl standard. Sad https://t.co/t6kGHLiTx9
— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) August 30, 2016
Kaepernick has previously stated that he will continue his protest until there’s “significant change.”
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