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AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Shaquille O’Neal walks on the grid before the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 24, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Shaquille O’Neal walks on the grid before the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 24, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Protesting against racial inequality and police violence in the United States, Colin Kaepernick took a stand. This led to a division in the sporting world. It formed groups of those who support him and those who disagree with him. Shaquille O’Neal, the four-time NBA Champion, became a part of the latter. He disagreed with Colin’s move and cited his reasons as well.
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When Colin took the knee in 2016, he was the sole person who believed that empathy for social injustices has to be portrayed in sports. However, he was joined by his teammates, and later other teams in demonstrating the same feeling.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 28: Colin Kaepernick arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “Colin In Black And White” at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage,)
On Colin’s move, Shaq said, “I don’t really have a say on it, but I would never do that. My father was a military man, and you know, he protected this country. Uncles are in law enforcement, you know, they go out and work hard every day.”
Shaquille O’Neal expressed his feelings on Colin Kaepernick
Shaq is known for staying away from controversies and he emulated this in expressing his feelings about Colin as well. Shaq was quoted saying, “People like Muhammad Ali and Bill Russell, they were one way their whole career. You can’t show us something and then go to another just because of certain issues.”
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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 27: Shaquille O’Neal reacts during the first half of a game between the LSU Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies at Tiger Stadium on November 27, 2021 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Another currently playing legend of the game came out in support of the 49ers QB. Steph Curry expressed his support for Colin’s protest. He said, “I applaud him for taking a stand.”
Colin Kaepernick’s stand on protesting against the national anthem
Previously, Colin Kaepernick said that he would continue to kneel for the national anthem until he believes there’s a significant change. He said, “This country stands for freedom, liberty, justice for all. And it’s not happening for all right now,” the quarterback said Sunday. “When there’s significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent in this country… I’ll stand.”
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SEATTLE, WA – JANUARY 19: Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after teammate running back Anthony Dixon #24 scores a one-yard touchdown in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks during the 2014 NFC Championship at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
What do you think about Shaq’s reaction to Colin’s national anthem protest?
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