The Colin Kaepernick effect is spreading throughout different racial groups in the NFL. A White Cleveland Browns player recently took a knee during singing of the National Anthem.
Seth DeValve, a tight end, took part in the demonstration to make a statement against hate and injustice in the country. He joined 11 fellow Cleveland players n the kneel down.
“We took the opportunity to pray for our country and for the men and women in this country during that time. The United States is the greatest country in the world. It is because it provides opportunities to its citizens that no other country does. The issue is that it doesn’t provide equal opportunity to everybody. And I wanted to support my African-American teammates today who wanted to take a knee. We wanted to draw attention to the fact that there’s things in this country that still need to change.”
The move to join the prayer held a double meaning for the Princeton graduate as he is married to a Black woman. “I myself will be raising children that don’t look like me, and I want to do my part as well to do everything I can to raise them in a better environment than we have right now” he explained.
This marks the first time a White player has joined in the much scrutinized peaceful protest which many speculate is the real reason Colin Kaepernick is still unemployed even though he lead the 2013 San Francisco 49ers to a Superbowl appearance. You can view a video of the Browns players detailing their reasoning below.
Props to Seth for staying woke. Hopefully more White athletes will recognize the value in this peaceful protest.
Via TMZ
Photo: screen cap
