Colin Kaepernick’s Ex-Teammate Wants To Put His Statue In The Smithsonian

Although the NFL has turned its back on former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, his former teammates have not. Now, Takeo Spikes has come forward to talk about the allegedly blacklisted Kaepernick and how he deserves a statue in the Smithsonian because he “took a stand” against police brutality and racial discrimination. The Smithsonian Museum is located in Washington D.C. and is home to American history from across the centuries.

Spikes played alongside Kaepernick while the pair were both on the San Francisco 49ers. Now, Spikes is speaking out about how Kaepernick deserves official recognition for his role in reinvigorating the Black Lives Matter movement and putting pressure on the government to make a change in the way it polices communities of color.

“I truly believe that he deserves some type of monument, a statue in the Smithsonian in D.C.,” Takeo Spikes told NBC Sports Bay Area.

Spikes did not play with Kaepernick at the same time he began his protest during the national anthem, but he still believes the former quarterback deserves recognition and respect. Spikes and Kaepernick played on the same squad for the 2011 and 2012 seasons and established a strong rapport.

“The reason why I say this is because this man put everything on the line,” Spikes said. “But I applaud him simply because he decided to take a stand. He decided to draw a line in the sand and say look, ‘I can make the money, I can live a carefree life for the most part and get paid handsomely and never say a thing because I’m not affected.’”

Spikes added, “But he took time to look back and really just see the big picture, the spectrum when we talk about the inequalities. He decided to not only call it out but take a stand for it.”

Kaepernick was taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequalities in America. However, many white people saw his protest as a sign of disrespect for the American flag and the men and women who serve under it as members of the United States military complex.

Journalist Josina Anderson discussed Kaepernick recently, saying, “I think there’s more appreciation now with the sacrifice that he made in terms of raising his voice and the backlash that he absorbed as a result to that, and obviously losing his career in terms of not being able to come back to the National Football League, though I do believe he’s doing well-off financially — not that that takes away from what he aspired to in finishing his career, but it certainly makes the pillow a lot softer.”

“What I mean by that is people have a better understanding of prejudice and bias and how that sometimes affects how people of color are treated when in these situations to the point of obviously the loss of life in ways that seem more brazen now in the era that we just came off of politically, even in comparison to when we were under the Obama administration,” she added.

Do you think Colin Kaepernick deserves a statue in the Smithsonian?