Rather than call them “sons of bitches”, here’s how Obama reacted to NFL players’ protest in 2016

Prior to the weekend NFL game that sparked ugly altercations between President Trump and active players within the sport agency, former US President Barack Obama experienced a similar protest in 2016 towards the tale end of his presidency.

Unlike his successor, Obama did not lash out at the players led by Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand during the national anthem.

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Kaepernick is currently at the centre of outburst from Trump who referred to the NFL star as a “son of a bitch” over the weekend.

Following the killings of blacks by police officers in the United States, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback sat during the national anthem for a preseason game, saying he would not “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour.”

That singular action sparked a nationwide protest other professional athletes followed suit by not standing for the national anthem, thus igniting a national debate.

At a CNN town hall meeting last September, when asked about Kaepernick’s protest by a member of the audience, Obama replied, saying, “Lately, some players in the NFL have been choosing to take a knee during the national anthem, a time which I believe should be reserved to respect our service members,” the man said. “As commander in chief, how do you feel about those NFL players choosing this respected time to voice their opinions?”

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Obama who had earlier said, the quarterback was ‘exercising his constitutional rights’, responded, “Well, as I’ve said before, I believe that us honouring our flag and our anthem is part of what binds us together as a nation. But I also always try to remind folks that part of what makes this country special is that we respect people’s rights to have a different opinion.”

The former President also said he believes protesters should be aware that the reason they are able to share their opinions is because people “fight” for them to be able to do so.

“The test of our fidelity to our Constitution, to freedom of speech, to our Bill of Rights, is not when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. We fight sometimes so that people can do things that we disagree with … As long as they’re doing it within the law, then we can voice our opinion objecting to it but it’s also their right”, he stressed.

“I want (the protesters) to listen to the pain that that may cause somebody who, for example, had a spouse or a child who was killed in combat and why it hurts them to see somebody not standing. But I also want people to think about the pain he may be expressing about somebody who’s lost a loved one that they think was unfairly shot,” Obama added.

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