Brett Favre said he thinks Colin Kaepernick will reach a “hero status” similar to the late Pat Tillman.
The Hall of Fame quarterback made the comparison Sunday when asked about Kaepernick’s chances of making the Hall of Fame for his activism. While Favre didn’t say Kaepernick should be inducted, he said the free agent quarterback reminded him of Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinals safety who gave up his NFL career to join the Army after 9/11.
“I can only think of — right off the top of my head — Pat Tillman’s another guy who did something similar, and we regard him as a hero,” he told TMZ Sports. “So I’d assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well.”
Tillman was killed in a friendly-fire incident in 2004 while deployed in Afghanistan.
Kaepernick, meanwhile, was the first NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. The 32-year-old has not played in the NFL since 2016.
The league has faced renewed pressure for a team to sign him after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died last month while in police custody in Minneapolis. Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week he encourages a team to do so.
Favre said he thinks Kaepernick could still play in the NFL and deserves another shot.
“It’s not easy for a guy his age, black or white, Hispanic, whatever, to stop something that you’ve always dreamed of doing and put it on hold — maybe forever — for something that you believe in,” he said.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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