Josh Norman wishes Colin Kaepernick would have been vocal with the Players Coalition, a group led by Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins that is dedicated to social justice reform.
The Redskins cornerback told The Washington Post that Kaepernick “didn’t want to have a conversation” when the group needed strong leadership.
Norman, who is part of the coalition, watched the group nearly fracture after the NFL pledged $89 million to social justice causes and Jenkins was potentially willing to work with the league to end player protests. Kaepernick, he said, went silent.
“When he took a knee, everybody was in shock and everything, but when the bullets start flying, I was trying to figure out where he was at. He was ducking,” Norman said of Kaepernick. “When you’re in the line of fire and the guys that are over here are trying to have a conversation to move stuff forward, he didn’t want to have that conversation.”
Kaepernick and former San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid cut off communication with the coalition over disagreements about strategy.
Kaepernick, who was the first to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, has been in headlines recently after Nike unveiled the quarterback as the new face of the company’s “Just Do It” campaign.
The quarterback will appear for Nike in a two-minute ad during Thursday’s NBC broadcast between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons, which is the first game of the NFL season.
Last week, an arbitrator refused to grant the NFL’s request to dismiss Kaepernick’s grievance against the league in which the quarterback has alleged owners colluded to keep him unemployed.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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