Because of recent nationwide protests against racism and police brutality, Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protests have become a topic of frequent discussion again, with players around the NFL as well as in other sports weighing in on whether or not they would choose to participate in similar protests again when sports returns.
Overseas, players in the Australian Football League are also choosing to express their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Before a recent game between Richmond and Collingwood, both teams and the umpires congregated at the center of the field and took a knee.
“We stand in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters and all people of colour. There is no place for racism,” said Richmond FC on Twitter in a statement. “The Knee is an expression of that support.”
This was described as a player-led initiative, and it’s heartening to see that even athletes overseas are making the decision to support this movement.
The NFL has also recently admitted to being in the wrong for not listening to the message that players had previously tried to express with their anthem protests, and encouraged players to protest going forward — Adrian Peterson has already said that he plans to kneel this season, and expects that other players will join him.
h/t Twitter/7AFL
