Lil Wayne doesn’t think he’s fit to address Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest because the rapper claims he has never had to deal with racial prejudice.
“They wouldn’t want my answer to represent it because god knows I have been nothing but blessed … I’ve never — and never is a strong word — I’ve never dealt with racism and I’m glad I didn’t have to,” Lil Wayne told Skip Bayless during Fox Sports One’s “Undisputed.” “I thought [racism] was over. I still believe it’s over, but obviously it isn’t.”
Bayless went on to ask about a previous encounter between the two when the rapper told him the vast majority of the audience at many of his concerts is white.
“I don’t want to be bashed, because I don’t want to sound like I’m on the wrong, if there is a side, but I thought that was clearly a message that there was no such thing as racism,” Wayne replied. “That’s what I thought that was. That was a perfect example.”
Fellow co-host Shannon Sharpe commended Wayne for his words, saying that it is better for someone to be honest about their experiences with racism rather than make something up for the sake of getting attention.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem before NFL games out of refusal to “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people.”
Colin Kaepernick Controversy: 8 Stars Weigh In, From Donald Trump to Spike Lee
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem because he won't "show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people," and just about everyone has an opinion.
Click on for the highest-profile hot takes on both sides of the issue...
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Colin Kaepernick
"To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way," the quarterback told NFL Media. "There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
"He's within his rights and he's telling the truth as he sees it," Brown said. "The young men of today are stepping up. For so many years they did not step up."
The polarizing "First Take" host said Kaepernick "personified what a protest is supposed to be.”
He continued: “There’s a difference between bringing attention to something, and sacrificing. And I’m telling you right now, when you look at what Colin Kaepernick did, this was a sacrifice.”
"All lives matter. So much going on in this world today. Can we all just get along! Colin, I respect your stance but don't disrespect the Flag," the 49ers legend tweeted.
Rice played most of his pro football career in San Francisco and is widely considered to be the best wide receiver of all time. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The NBA legend wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post ripping critics of the protest.
Abdul-Jabbar is a former cultural ambassador for the United States and recently authored a book called “Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charlie Sheen and Jim Brown also take sides in QB’s refusal to stand for the national anthem
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem because he won't "show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people," and just about everyone has an opinion.
Click on for the highest-profile hot takes on both sides of the issue...