In August of 2016, Colin Kaepernick said of his decision to kneel during the national anthem, "I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed."
Today, in the wake of George Floyd's murder, those words have even stronger meaning.
Because Kaepernick was kneeling to protest police brutality, former NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart believes now is the time for an NFL team to sign Colin Kaepernick. And because Floyd's murder happened in Minneapolis, Lockart says the Vikings should be the club to do it:
The situation in Minnesota right now offers a unique opportunity to deal with the symbols of racial injustice. As a small, but important step, the owners of the Minnesota Vikings, Zygi and Mark Wilf, can send a strong message by offering Colin Kaepernick a contract to play with the Vikings. Bring him into camp, treat him like any of the other players given a chance to play the game they love.
Lockhart, who worked for the NFL from 2016-18, does understand that the signing of Kaepernick isn't going to stop what is going on right now in the United States:
It will not solve the problem of blacks and police violence. But it will recognize the problem that Kaepernick powerfully raised, and perhaps show that, with courage, real progress can be made.
I know the Vikings owners love their adopted city of Minneapolis (they are from New Jersey originally) and signing Kaepernick would be a concrete step they can take to acknowledge that wrongs can be righted, and here's one place to start.
