Washington Post:
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began the movement of NFL players protesting during the National Anthem last season and remains unemployed after parting ways with the 49ers in March, appears on the December cover of GQ as the magazine’s “Citizen of the Year.”
Warriors star Kevin Durant, late-night host Stephen Colbert and actress Gal Gadot are among the other celebrities recognized in GQ’s “Men (and Woman) of the Year” issue, which will feature photographs of Kaepernick in Harlem, “intending to evoke the spirit of Muhammad Ali’s anti-Vietnam War protests in the neighborhood during the late 60s.” Kaepernick doesn’t go on record with the magazine, but the issue includes commentary from 10 of his closest confidants, including rapper J. Cole, former 49ers teammate Eric Reid, filmmaker Ava DuVernay and activist Harry Belafonte.
Kaepernick, who filed a grievance last month accusing NFL teams of colluding to keep him out of the league, agreed to collaborate with the magazine on the special project in an attempt to “reclaim the narrative of his protest.” The 30-year-old became the first NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem last season to protest police brutality and racial injustice. While Kaepernick has remained mostly silent in the 14 months since, protests have continued across the league in his absence this season. During a campaign rally in Alabama in September, President Trump called on NFL owners to fire players who refused to stand for the national anthem.
GQ believes that Kaepernick’s protests make him deserving of the title, “Citizen of the year”.
The following is a list of accomplishments brought on by NFL protests during the National Anthem:
- Sparked the fuse that may have irreparably damaged the NFL’s reputation.
- Spread the idea to young African Americans throughout the country to make them believe that no matter how wealthy and successful you are, you are still a defenseless victim.
- Increased division between blacks and whites by making assumptions that are not supported by facts.
- Completely ignores black on black homicide rates in cities such as Chicago, where 762 people were killed in 2016. The majority of these victims were black teens.
- Supports communist dictator Fidel Castro, but has a reported net worth of over 22 Million Dollars. Why has he not re-distributed this wealth?
I believe at the end of the day, there is a reason GQ picked Kaepernick. They knew he was undeserving and therefore would create some buzz now that sales are slipping away from GQ and other “men’s” magazines.
From the LA Times:
What to watch: The future of men’s magazines is in flux
GQ’s total paid and verified circulation for 2016 was 944,549 compared to 958,926 in 2015, and GQ’s newsstand sales slid to 62,973 in 2016 from 96,610 in 2015.
So who should be the Citizen of the Year? I agree with the recommendation from the Blue Lives Matter News website, Stephen Willeford:
Willeford is a plumber who received a call from his daughter while the Texas church mass shooting was in-progress, according to the New York Post. She told him that a man wearing body armor was inside the church shooting worshippers.
Willeford didn’t hesitate, according to Texas Department of Public Safety Chief Freeman Martin, who said, “Willeford grabbed his rifle and engaged the suspect.” He shot the killer, Devin Kelley, after he came face-to-face with the gunman as he came out of the church, hitting him through a gap in his body armor. Kelley dropped his rifle and fled, and Willeford knew he had to go after him to make sure no one else would be harmed. Willeford then jumped into a truck driven by resident Johnnie Langendorff, and the pair pursued Kelley until they ensured that he was dead.
Stephen Willeford risked his life to engage a killer in combat, and saved many lives. He’s the real citizen of the year – not an unemployed millionaire.
