Retired NFL Pro Bowl defensive end and current Fox Sports host/analyst Marcellus Wiley wants Colin Kaepernick to have several seats when it comes to his social justice advocacy.
As reported by brobible.com, Wiley admits he can’t give Kap a pass because he does not know the “full weight” of injustice due to being “mixed race.”
Wiley’s comments have added fuel to the ongoing criticism over JAY-Z’s NFL deal that covers entertainment and social injustice issues.
This may be a good deal for Hov and the league, but some folks, such as Kaepernick and his Egyptian girlfriend Nessa, as well as his NFL player buddy Eric Reid and activist Shaun King, are not thrilled.
On Fox Sports 1’s Speak For Yourself on Tuesday morning, Wiley defended Jay-Z’s partnership with the NFL, which includes Roc Nation organizing the Super Bowl halftime show as well as a new $89 million social justice initiative.
“Jay-Z is smart. You don’t become Marcy Projects to billionaire and not be smart,” Wiley said of the hip-hop star. “Jay-Z is guilty of giving Kaepernick a pass, in the same way I was guilty of giving him a pass.”
“From day one, I was against him kneeling. I said, ‘Get up and get those resources because where we’re from your kneeling before kickoff has nothing to do with our situation unless you translate that, materialize it and monetize it,” he continued. “Jay-Z waited long enough and said, ‘I gotta pass this dude to get this right.’”
Wiley then noted why Kaepernick is not an effective civil rights leader.
“Kaepernick comes from a situation where he never felt the full weight of these injustices,” he said. “This is a mixed race guy who was raised by a white family from Wisconsin to central California. Respect — that does not disqualify you from talking for us but when you make misteps and miscalculations, oh, it comes back into play.”
“And he never spoke on this when the Black Lives Matter movement was at its height. Think about it, 2013, 2014, Ferguson, when Jay-Z was bailing prisoners out and protestors out, taking pictures, and supporting Trayvon Martin and that family,” Wiley added. “Where was Kaepernick? You know where he was? Taking his shirt off bruh.”
Continuing, “I knew Kaepernick back then, he was NEVER talking about this. He meets Nessa in 2015, all of the sudden he gets benched, flip flop.”
“But Nessa comes into play now, and we all know Nessa,” Wiley said. “Respect to her and her ethnicity, but it’s not black.”
“Now we got two leaders who don’t even feel the weight of their consequences,” Wiley concluded. “So guess what you are allowed to do right now — have CONVENIENCE.”
