Amy Schumer Wonders Why More White NFL Players Don't Kneel: 'How Are You Not Complicit?'

Netflix

Comedian Amy Schumer questions why more white players in the National Football League aren’t kneeling in protest with their fellow teammates.

Schumer took to Instagram on Friday to offer some thoughts on the protests during the National Anthem and to support activist and former quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“Once you witness the truly deep inequality and endless racism people of color face in our country, not to mention the police brutality and murders. Why not kneel next to your brothers? Otherwise how are you not complicit?” Schumer wrote in her post. “Anyone who says its disrespectful to our military please read up on the fact that a lot of veterans are proud of what [Colin Kaepernick] is doing and fully support him. What are your thoughts?”

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Friday thought. I wonder why more white players aren’t kneeling. Once you witness the truly deep inequality and endless racism people of color face in our country, not to mention the police brutality and murders. Why not kneel next to your brothers? Otherwise how are you not complicit? I think it would be cool if @maroon5 backed out of super bowl like @badgalriri Did. I personally told my reps I wouldn’t do a Super Bowl commercial this year. I know it must sound like a privilege ass sacrifice but it’s all i got. Hitting the nfl with the advertisers is the only way to really hurt them. I know opposing the nfl is like opposing the nra. Very tough, but don’t you want to be proud of how you’re living? Stand up for your brothers and sisters of color. And the hottest thing a guy can do is get down on one knee. Not to propose but to reject the treatment of his teammates by this country. Anyone who says its disrespectful to our military please read up on the fact that a lot of veterans are proud of what @kaepernick7 is doing and fully support him. What are your thoughts?

A post shared by @ amyschumer on Oct 19, 2018 at 8:11am PDT

Kaepernick began kneeling during the National Anthem before NFL games during the 2016 season as a means of raising awareness, and protesting racial inequality in America and the shooting deaths of unarmed black men, women and children by police officers.

The number of NFL players taking up the protest and kneeling during the anthem has dwindled as the league has attempted to curtail the issue.

The protests created a firestorm in the media and among football fans. President Donald Trump made the protests one of his main issues on Twitter, saying that players who kneel during the National Anthem should be fired.

Also Read: Amy Schumer, Emily Ratajkowski Detained During Kavanaugh Protest in Washington DC

Schumer also said it “would be cool” if Maroon 5 pulled out of performing in the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show and noted that she told her reps she wouldn’t do a Super Bowl commercial this year.

“I know it must sound like a privilege a– sacrifice but it’s all I got,” Schumer wrote. “Hitting the NFL with the advertisers is the only way to really hurt them. I know opposing the NFL is like opposing the NRA. Very tough, but don’t you want to be proud of how you’re living? Stand up for your brothers and sisters of color.”

Evolution of Amy Schumer: From Stand Up Comic to 'I Feel Pretty' (Photos)

Long before we all came to know and love the charming witty multi-hyphenate, Amy Schumer was once an unknown comic longing for her big break.
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2003

Schumer enters the world of stand-up comedy. She performs her first ever gig at Manhattan’s Gotham Comedy Club shortly after graduating from Towson University in Maryland.
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2007

Schumer appears on a Comedy Central episode of "Live at Gotham," which showcases comedians performing at the New York City comedy club.
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2007

After previously auditioning for but not booking it, the comedian finally makes it on to the fifth season of "Last Comic Standing," where comedians compete for $250,000 and a TV special.

Schumer placed fourth.
Instagram
2011

Schumer applies to be a writer on the "Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen," but doesn't get the job -- instead, she gets to be a roaster.

She received a great deal of attention for her jokes. Not all of it positive.
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2012

Schumer's comedy special "Mostly Sex Stuff" premieres on Comedy Central where she discusses ... well, mostly sex stuff.

According to the Washington Post, Schumer's comedy special was the second highest rated Comedy Central special in five years.
Comedy Central
2013

Schumer premieres "Inside Amy Schumer" on Comedy Central, her first comedy pilot. The sketch show was renewed for a fifth season in 2016.
Comedy Central
2015

Schumer hosts the 2015 MTV Movie Awards, where she gets praised for her great jokes.
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2015

Time Magazine names Schumer one of its 100 Most Influential People of 2015.

The magazine wrote:

"Amy’s got your back.
She’s in your corner.
She’s an honesty bomb.
And she’s coming for you."
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2015

"Trainwreck" (co-starring Bill Hader) put Schumer on the map as both a gifted writer and actress. She earned a nomination from the Writers Guild of America for Best Original Screenplay and won a Golden Globe for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
Universal Pictures
2016

Schumer was joined on stage at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards by Jennifer Lawrence, and they quickly became Hollywood's most loved BFFs.
NBC
2016

The comedian releases a memoir titled "The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo." The book rose to the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller List.
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2016

Schumer was in talks to play Barbie in a live-action movie for Sony based on the iconic Mattel line of dolls; the deal later fell through.
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2017

The comedian co-starred with Goldie Hawn in R-rated comedy "Snatched" about a super-cautious mom (Hawn) who joins her daughter (Schumer) on a jungle vacation to Ecuador that goes horribly, horribly wrong.
Twentieth Century Fox
2017

Schumer made her Broadway debut in November 2017 in Steve Martin's comedy "Meteor Shower" opposite Keegan-Michael Key, Laura Benanti and Jeremy Shamos.
2018

Schumer starred in the comedy "I Feel Pretty" about a woman who finds confidence and self-esteem after suffering a head injury. Schumer took on criticism of the movie's body image themes. “I heard a lot of, ‘She doesn’t have a right to feel bad about herself because she looks however she looks,'” Schumer said, adding that the movie is “not about an ugly troll becoming beautiful, it’s about a woman who has low self-esteem finding some … Everyone’s got a right to feel that feeling, regardless of their appearance.”
STX Entertainment