Man Appears To Take Shot at Kaepernick from 9/11 Memorial Stage
A man paid tribute on Tuesday to a police officer who died during the Sept. 11 attacks and appeared to take a shot at Nike’s Colin Kaepernick ad campaign.
During the annual remembrance at Ground Zero in New York City, the unidentified man was among those reading names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
He concluded those names assigned to him saying, “And my brother and hero, Port Authority Police Officer David P. LeMagne, who believed in something, even when it meant to sacrifice everything,” closely mirroring the words of the Kaepernick ads.
Breitbart reported that LeMagne was 27 years old when he was among the 72 officers killed while attempting to save the lives of those trapped in the Twin Towers.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, the officer had been with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department for just a year prior to his death.
During Tuesday’s ceremony, the man paying tribute to LeMagne wore a leather vest with what appeared to be a police insignia on it.
At the beginning of the 2016 NFL season, Kaepernick made headlines by sitting during the national anthem to protest what he described as unjust treatment of African-Americans, particularly by police officers.
The former San Francisco 49er later changed from sitting to kneeling during the anthem, with many players on other teams following his example.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media at the time. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
Kaepernick also stirred outrage when he wore socks depicting police officers as pigs.
Last week, Nike launched an ad campaign featuring the former NFL quarterback to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its slogan “Just Do It.”
FIRST LOOK: New Nike “Just Do It” ad, voiced by @Kaepernick7, scheduled to air, as of now, on tomorrow night’s Falcons-Eagles season opener. pic.twitter.com/FZpUhdOlWW
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 5, 2018
Kaepernick appears partway into the ad, turning to face the camera as his voice-over intones, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
The 30-year-old has filed a grievance against NFL team owners, accusing them of colluding to deny him the opportunity to play in the league because of his controversial protests.
Many fans have stopped watching the NFL because of the anthem demonstrations, which they view as disrespectful to the country and those who have served in the U.S. military.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
