‘Dumbest and most dishonest’: Clay Travis does not hold back on Colin Kaepernick

Oct 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Eli Harold (58), quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and free safety Eric Reid (35) kneel in protest during the playing of the national anthem before a NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been nearly 10 years since Colin Kaepernick last played in the NFL, but his iconic national anthem protests are still quite polarizing, drumming up outrage even a decade later.

This week, Kaepernick was announced as a guest speaker at The Atlantic Festival in New York City, which will take place next month. While the announcement made no mention of Kaepernick’s protest or his political beliefs, the mere mention of his name led to a strong reaction from right-wing sports personality Clay Travis.

Kaepernick’s Iconic Protests

Kaepernick first knelt during the national anthem before a 49ers preseason game in August 2016, protesting police brutality and systemic racism against Black Americans. The star quarterback initially sat on the bench, then switched to kneeling as a more respectful gesture.

The act was deliberate and calculated to force a conversation about an issue he believed America was ignoring, and it worked.

The protest ignited immediate controversy. Politicians and fans called it unpatriotic. Supporters praised his willingness to risk his career for his principles. By the end of the season, Kaepernick found himself out of the league as teams refused to sign him, ultimately resulting in a lawsuit where Kaepernick claimed he was illegally blackballed from the league.

Kaepernick never played in the NFL again, despite multiple attempts to return to the league, but his protest remains iconic and memorable, whether you agreed or not.

Clay Travis Speaks Out

Following the news that Kaepernick would be a speaker at The Atlantic Festival next month, right-wing sports commentator Clay Travis took to social media to reiterate his outrage at Kaepernick’s iconic protests.

“Colin Kaepernick did a documentary for Netflix saying the NFL was modern day slavery while simultaneously suing the NFL to let him play in the league. May be the single dumbest and most dishonest position by an athlete in sports history,” Travis wrote in a post on X.

He went on to criticize those who will be attending the event.

“This crowd will be entirely left wing rich white people paying 1.5 black people lots of money to tell them how racist and awful America is. Simply amazing,” Travis wrote in a follow-up post.

A decade later, Kaepernick’s protests are still forcing conversations. Like it or not, he was quite successful in his goal.

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