NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Saturday released a statement in support of the nationwide protests over George Floyd’s death, but Twitters users were quick to point out the hypocrisy of his words.
“The NFL family is greatly saddened by the tragic events across our country,” Goodell said in his 140-word statement, which was issued five days after Floyd’s death.
“Colin Kaepernick asked the NFL to care about the lives of black people and they banned him from their platform,” tweeted Michael-Shawn Dugar, a writer for The Athletic, in response to Goodell’s statement.
Kaepernick, who hasn’t been signed to an NFL team since 2016, has accused league owners of colluding to keep him from playing because of his political statement.
York’s statement, as well as a CNN column by former NFL executive Joe Lockhart calling for team owners to sign Kaepernick, felt like too little too late for some Twitter users.