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By Rickey Hampton, For the African-American Athlete
I wonder what Ray Lewis was looking for on his knees as he knelt with members of the Baltimore Ravens before the start of Sunday’s game with the Jacksonville Jaguars in London?
His dignity?
After spending much of the past year railing against Colin Kaepernick, and his decision to bring awareness of injustice and police brutality, Ray-Ray finally jumped on board.
Better late than never I suppose. Nonetheless, a lot of us are not going to forget his attacks on Kaepernick. Lewis felt Kaepernick was wrong to kneel during the anthem, and later advised him to stick to football. Of course, what practically everyone has seemed to miss here is that Kaepernick’s stance in the first place is that it was never against the flag, but against the injustice and brutality that black and poor people face in America.
Lewis gave the same old line I hear a lot of people say, ‘stick to football’. “The football field is our sanctuary. If you do nothing else, young man, get back on the football field and let your play speak for itself,” said Lewis. “And whatever you do off the field, don’t let too many people know, because they gonna judge you anyway, no matter what you do, no matter if it’s good or bad.”
I am so glad Lewis wasn’t around to counsel Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Arthur Ashe.
While Lewis claimed to be working on behalf of Kaepernick, he seemed to be stabbing him the back and interjecting himself in the Ravens’ interest in signing Kaepernick.
I think Lewis finally decided to take a knee because he sees the tide is turning. The inflammatory rhetoric from the racist who lives in the White House had ignited the passions of many. Over the NFL weekend players sat, kneeled, locked arms and stayed in the locker-rooms, in order to express themselves. The momentum is coming in waves, and racists and weaklings are being exposed.
Lewis was an incredible football player. He was a man who played with courage and passion.
However, what most people, particularly people in the black community, are going to remember about Ray Lewis is how he sold out Colin Kaepernick. Maybe Lewis was on both knees praying his community forgives him. Because he has been a weakling on this issue.
