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Not to take the...2 sides to every story trope...but...uh...yeah
https://theundefeated.com/features/irreconcilable-differences-why-the-nfl-players-coalition-split-apart/
Some of what he is saying, actually unfolded
Kap was invited to participate
It was suggested they meet in person — Kaepernick included — to get on the same page and define a united purpose going forward. Dallas was suggested as a central location.
“I’m in. I’m in. I’m in. I’ll go. I’ll attend,” members responded, one after the other. Reid did not reply.
“Hey, we’re just waiting on a response from you, brother,” a member said to Reid after roughly 30 minutes. “Can you make the meeting next Tuesday in Dallas? Or do you need to get back with us tomorrow?”
Why Reid wouldn’t attend the meeting is a matter of some dispute. He would tell ESPN The Magazine that he saw the invitation as an ultimatum and he wouldn’t be able to attend because of his grandmother’s funeral. But an examination of that group text shared with The Undefeated by a coalition member reveals other issues were at play that went to the heart of the coalition’s divide.
“Before I even consider attending this meeting and asking Colin to attend,” Reid replied, “are we in agreement that the agenda for this will be to discuss the logistics behind separating the coalition — which has always been focused on criminal justice reform — from a new entity in which Colin will be at the helm and the protesting players move forward in communication with the NFL to address the systematic oppression of black and brown people? Then, yes, I will try to make it on Tuesday or find another day that works for all of us. If not, there’s no point in having a meeting.”
Makes it sound like he was in it for his own coalition of him, Kap...and whoever they thought was 'protesting'
Why join the player's coalition if you knew
A) criminal justice reform was their goal...not systemic oppression
B) 1 person could make the decisions
?
"Coalition leader Anquan Boldin, while choosing not to kneel or make a public gesture, spoke out in hopes of giving a voice to the voiceless after a cousin was killed by a plainclothes police officer in 2015. Jenkins raised a fist in support of the Clean Slate Act, which would seal the criminal records of anyone with misdemeanor convictions — save violent and sex offenses — if they stay clean for 10 years, after his brother was charged with a felony for possessing small amounts of marijuana."
^^^so they're sellouts because...?
"Jenkins tried multiple times to bring Kaepernick into the group, but the former Super Bowl starter, while receptive and supportive, preferred to remain on his own."
can't argue with that...Kap has been quiet for some time now
"Still more talk finally produced dividends in September when Reid and several other players who had previously declined invitations joined the coalition. This didn’t mean it was smooth sailing. The new members disagreed with founding members on everything from who should be leader to what it was looking for from the league to how much focus should be on placed on addressing Kaepernick’s unemployment."
^^^makes it sound more like they tried to hijack the players coalition...not the other way around
Bottom line for me...there are players with genuine causes of their own that fall under the social justice platform
Because those platforms were not identical to what Kap may have intended...Reid decided to remove himself
In the almost year that has passed since this deal was announced...how much closer is Reid/Kap to forming their own group and negotiating their own deal?
Are they recruiting more NFL players to join their coalition?
Admire this guy's courage, etc...but there has to be a better way than this, IMO.
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