Colin Kaepernick, who ignited a national civil rights discussion when he knelt during the national anthem last NFL season in protest of racial injustice, still has no team. No club has signed Kaepernick since he became a free agent in March, the new season starts in two weeks, and the NAACP is outraged.
On Wednesday, the NAACP posted an open letter to the NFL demanding a meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss Kaepernick's status. It also held simultaneous rallies in New York City (right outside NFL headquarters) and Atlanta.
To be clear: There is not, at this time, an NAACP boycott of the NFL. But the head of the Atlanta chapter tells Yahoo Finance unequivocally that the group is serious about initiating one if it doesn't get a Goodell meeting.
"If there's not a meeting before the start of the season, it's my belief that the coalition will call for a boycott of the NFL," says Gerald Griggs, an attorney and VP of the NAACP's Atlanta chapter.
Of course, Goodell can't force a team to sign Kaepernick.
"We know the commissioner doesn't have that power," Griggs says, "But the fan bases that are parts of our organizations do. So at the same time we are demanding a meeting with Roger Goodell, we are also requesting meetings with the team owners in our local markets. And we have a branch in every city where there's an NFL team."
The NAACP has not officially heard from the NFL, but Griggs says that unofficially, "part of the response we heard was that he's traveling. Well, we can meet him anywhere. Delta flies to most major cities."
An NFL spokesperson tells Yahoo Finance, "We have yet to receive a letter."
Last season, while Kaepernick was protesting, the NAACP "did not get involved vocally," Griggs says, beyond supporting his First Amendment rights, which is an issue it always promotes. But now, officials feel compelled to act because, "we saw a pattern of preventing him from being employed. And now we are dedicated to the outcome of him pursuing employment."
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