http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/kaepernick-responds-critics-bashed-honor-mlk-article-1.3758573
Colin Kaepernick responds to critics who bashed him for national anthem protest but are now ‘honoring’ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Colin them hypocrites.
Polarizing former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick retweeted a number of posts that called out the hypocrisy of people who previously chastised Kaepernick but are now "honoring" Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy on Monday.
Kaepernick was berated by many for peacefully protesting during the national anthem throughout the 2016 season in order to raise awareness of social injustice and police brutality. King, of course, was one of the central figures of the Civil Rights Movement and fought for equal rights through nonviolent peaceful protests.
Despite the similarities between both Kaepernick's and King's respective methods in their fight for justice, many of the same critics who scolded Kaepernick, paid tribute to King on Monday.
Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren, who once referred to Kaepernick's message as "mouth diarrhea," praised King's message of equality in a tweet posted Monday.
"Today we honor a great man with a great message. #MLKDay," Lahren wrote, including a quote from King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
Donald Trump, who said in September if Kaepernick or anyone else refused to stand during the national anthem then we need to "get that son of a ##### off the field," referred to King's dream as "our dream."
"Dr. King's dream is our dream. It is the American Dream. It's the promise stitched into the fabric of our Nation, etched into the hearts of our people, and written into the soul of humankind," Trump said in his weekly address.
The Dallas Cowboys, whose owner Jerry Jones threatened to cut any player who refused to stand for the national anthem, said they will "honor" King's legacy.
"Today we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. #MLKDay," the Cowboys wrote.
Kaepernick clearly saw these hypocritical comments, and/or similar ones, and decided to retweet prominent figures in media and sports who shared a similar perspective as Kaepernick.
"Me, watching people who criticized Colin Kaepernick for his nonviolent protest post MLK quotes today," wrote ESPN's Jemele Hill, who also posted an image of people looking perplexed.
"Crazy. The same people who lambasted @Kaepernick7 a traitor, agitator and disrespectful for his non-violent peaceful protest against injustice, are out here sharing Dr. King quotes. Mind blowing. #MLKDay," Francis Maxwell, a producer for The Young Turks network, wrote.
"Isn't it interesting seeing all of the #nfl teams who didn't hire @Kaepernick7 tweet quotes of Dr. Martin Luther King about nonviolent protest? #MLKDay," nine-year NBA veteran and published author Ehtan Thomas wrote.
Kaepernick, himself, posted an excerpt from King's "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" in which he writes he has “been gravely disappointed with the white moderate” and cautions “shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will."