If you’ve seen or heard Steve Kerr talking politics in the past few years, it’s no surprise the Warriors coach has Colin Kaepernick’s back — he’s blasted the NFL’s national anthem policy before.
Kerr once again threw his support behind Kaepernick during a wide-ranging interview with Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, which can only be seen in full on the new NBC Sports My Teams app (you can see part of the interview video above).
“I support Colin Kaepernick 100 percent, and I think he deserves a chance to play,” Kerr said to NBC Sports Bay Area. “And I was happy see Eric Reid was picked up recently — Kap’s teammate who also knelt last year. So I support their right to play.”
Earlier in the same interview, Kerr shared his qualms with the militaristic and nationalistic displays before sporting events. What if the NBA just did away with the anthem before games completely?
“It wouldn’t bother me. I’m not for it, nor against it,” Kerr said. “I believe patriotism is about doing something good for others, for other Americans. That’s the best way to be patriotic, to get out and volunteer and help others. That’s what drives me crazy about the uproar over the NFL players who have knelt in a fight for social justice. So many of them have given so much to their communities — given not just money but time. I read a lot about Malcolm Jenkins in Philadelphia and what he’s done in his community. And Chris Long. And people like Colin Kaepernick who have given a million dollars to charity.
“I’m so proud of so many athletes who are out there in their communities, knowing the power they have and the financial resources they have to make a change. That’s patriotism to me. The anthem is just kind of a symbol for that.”
The NBA has not faced the same national anthem issues as the NFL because no NBA players have taken a knee (they have locked arms on some teams). There are a lot of reasons for that, most of which have nothing to do with politics (or even the NBA’s rule that players “stand and line up in a dignified posture” during the anthem). For the NBA it’s more about Commissioner Adam Silver and owners encouraging players to speak out on social issues, making the players feel heard (and cutting off the problem before it blew up). Besides, the player/owner power balance is different in the NBA than NFL, no NBA owner would dare cross a superstar player that way (the free agent backlash would be sharp). Of course, the biggest reason is the NBA’s core demographic is younger, more diverse, and more urban (read: bluer) than the NFL’s, and if an NBA player kneeled there would not be the same kind of vitriol from the fan base. Most would just agree.
However, protesting during the anthem is an issue that still hovers over the NFL. While Kerr wants to see Kaepernick get a chance to play, as a former general manager himself he understands why it has not happened (and it’s not about anything on the field).
“I also see this entire media frenzy that surrounds it,” Kerr said. “And if I’m a GM of a team, I know the minute I sign Colin Kaepernick, it’s like signing Tim Tebow. Or it’s like signing, you know, one of the Ball brothers. And that’s probably a bad analogy. But it’s going to come with a storm. So even if your heart’s in the right place, and you go, ‘You know what? This is all BS,’ I want my team to be able to function. And I want to bring in a backup quarterback. But I don’t want a news conference every single day. I could see a GM going, ‘Man, I don’t really want to deal with that.’ That’s modern media. That’s modern American life.”
Kerr plans to keep using his platform to speak out on American life. And some basketball.
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