Mariah Carey calls Super Bowl Sunday ‘Colin Kaepernick Appreciation Day’ in a show of support for the activist / athlete
It’s the highlight of the NFL season: Super Bowl Sunday.
But after a year of uncertainty and political and social unrest, Mariah Carey wanted to remind people of the sacrifices Colin Kaepernick had made in the fight for equality as the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers competed for the championship.
‘Happy Colin Kaepernick appreciation day!’ the pop superstar shared on Twitter during Super Bowl LV on Sunday, Feb. 7.
Taking a stand: Mariah Carey backed Colin Kaepernick in a tweet she shared during the Super Bowl LV broadcast on Sunday, February 7
Carey’s tweet came shortly after a commercial highlighting the importance of diversity in football aired on the Super Bowl broadcast from Tampa, Florida.
The ad confirmed the NFL’s commitment to its Inspire Change initiative, a pledge made in June to spend $ 250 million over 10 years on various methods designed to combat systemic racism.
Carey appeared to be making fun of the NFL commercial, highlighting Kaepernick’s plight from quarterback of the San Francisco 49’ers to being out of the league by the end of the season in 2016.
A number of fans and followers agreed with the Hero singer and criticized the NFL for the turnaround when it comes to combating systemic racism.
Powerful: The pop superstar, 51, seemed to mock the NFL, while respecting Kaepernick in her tweet
Timing is everything: the Hero singer posted her tweet shortly after a commercial highlighting the importance of diversity in football during the Super Bowl broadcast
Movement ignited: Kaepernick received strongly polarized reactions when he routinely grabbed a knee during the national anthem in protest against police brutality and racial inequality
Kaepernick, now 33, received strongly polarized reactions when he routinely grabbed a knee during the national anthem in protest against police brutality and racial inequality.
He would become a free agent after the 2016 season, but remained unsigned during that off-season and those who would follow.
With some observers crying dirty and accusing the NFL of collusion.
Kaepernick filed a complaint against the league and its owners, accusing them of keeping him out of the NFL.
Kaepernick would become a free agent after the 2016 season, but remained unsigned during that off season and those who would follow.
In February 2019, Kaepernick withdrew the complaint, which also included another player, Eric Reid, after reaching a confidential settlement with the NFL.
Kaepernick has never signed with another team since he became a free agent in 2016.
In the days leading up to Super Sunday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised Kaepernick for his activism.
“He deserves our recognition and appreciation for that,” Goodell said at his recent press conference on the state of the league.
Complaints: The former 49’ers quarterback reached an undisclosed money settlement in his 2019 collusion complaint against the NFL; he is depicted around the time of the deal