Colin Kaepernick, to be entirely honest, I've never heard the name before this recent political stunt. At first I figured it was just because I'm not as well versed in the NFL as most people. However, after some brief research, I found the real reason why his name had never appeared in my schema of the NFL: He's a football player who has seen finer days athletically. I could go on about patriotism and how utterly disrespectful he's been over the last week, but after viewing all available evidence, I don't believe that a true political statement was his goal in this. If that were so, this wouldn't be his first statement. The issue that he claims to fight, whether it is a statistically true issue or not, has been in the news for quite some time. If it were really that pressing, I'd have expected a statement before now. I'd have expected that he wouldn't simply be donating money to areas in need post this massive wave of political pressure, but rather that it would have been an issue in which he'd been devoting his dollars long before he opened his mouth. The reality of this whole mess is that it is not boiled down to a political issue. It is simply another well off celebrity making a desperate attempt to keep his job. There was a time of great success in the beginning of Kaepernick's career, but now his ability is dwindling rapidly with reporters questioning over a year ago his ability to still remain relevant in the sport.

So what does this mean for the public, the average Joe infuriated by either side of the issue? We have to stop caring. Stop giving people like this who have no genuine interest in solving societal problems any sort of spotlight. Do I personally think this incident was disrespectful? Absolutely. Do I disagree with everything that he has said regarding the flag? Whole-heartedly. However, even if I agreed with the perspective he claims to side with, I'd still be irritated. People like this cheapen the efforts of any movement trying to gain ground. They aren't the people doing any of the work to get the movement up and running, and they aren't the people dealing with the backlash. Kaepernick quite literally gets to sit back and watch with his multi-million dollar salary while his predominantly middle class fans of all races and ideological perspectives duke it out with each other. He's relaxing, hoping that he can keep his job, because now the loss of it will be due to his inflammatory comment, not his athletic inability. I understand that police actions are a hotbed issue, and I certainly have my take on it, but this isn't an event of questionable action for people to get riled up about. This is a crap NFL quarterback using a sensitive topic to save his career, and it is a time, left or right, for us to let people like this know that the American people are not this easily deceived. We must communicate with people like this that we will fight for everyone's human rights, but we will not fight for your right to keep your salary when you exploit social issues for your own personal gain.