Clark Hunt Changes Tone on Protests: 'We're in a Very Different Place as a Country'
As four years have passed since former San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem before a game in protests against racial inequalities and police brutality in America, Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt seems to be changing his stance on the matter.
Hunt addressed the issue in a press conference with reporters Saturday and said although he hasn’t had any conversations with players, he knows it’s important.
“I would say that we’re in a very different place as a country,” Hunt said. “These issues are very important to our players, they're important to our coaching staff, our entire organization, and this is a time to be sensitive, it's a time to listen, it's a time to understand, and I recognize that around the league there may be some kneeling that goes on with the national anthem, and I just think the country is in a really different place at this point.”
In 2017, Hunt released this statement in relation to the controversy surrounding Kaepernick and former cornerback Marcus Peters’ protests:
“We are blessed in the National Football League to work with an outstanding group of players who, through their thoughtfulness and generosity, are deeply engaged in their communities. I believe in honoring the American flag and supporting all of those whose sacrifices protest the many freedoms we have in this country, including the right to have differences of opinion.
Sports have long been a unifying force — especially in challenging times — and hatred and division have no place in our game. As a nation, we face serious challenges, and I believe as Americans, each of us has a responsibility to engage one another with empathy and humility to gain a better understanding of ways we can work together to solve these difficult issues.”
Hunt also said, around the same time, “that we prefer for them to stand, but at the end of the day, it’s their decision.”
Several members of the NFL have publicly said they will kneel during the anthem in protest of racial injustices and inequalities in America. It is still unknown if any Chiefs players plan to protest on opening night.
